This Week in Congress: Opioid Crisis, Obamacare’s Employer Mandate, and Banning Dog & Cat Meat

Congress has a short, but busy week ahead of it with a bipartisan opioid crisis response bill expected to get a vote in the Senate and a bill that’d delay Obamacare’s employer mandate up for a vote in the House.

The House starts its week Wednesday with votes on 21 bills, including legislation to prohibit the slaughter of dogs and cats for human consumption. The rest of its week will be focused on energy research legislation and a bill that’d delay Obamacare’s employer mandate and “Cadillac tax” on high cost employer-sponsored plans, along with eliminating the tanning tax. It may consider a conference report containing the House & Senate’s compromise spending bill for Energy & Water; the Legislative Branch; and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs.

The Senate’s week will also begin on Wednesday, when it’ll take a procedural vote on the nomination of Charles Rettig to be a Commissioner of Internal Revenue before an expected confirmation vote later in the week. Following that, the Senate will likely consider a bipartisan crisis response bill.

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

Schedule subject to change. All times Eastern.

House

Wednesday after 6:30pm (all suspensions)

• H.R. 6198: Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Act of 2019, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5059: State Insurance Regulation Preservation Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6197: RAWR Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6720: Dog and Cat Meat Trade Prohibition Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.Res. 401: Urging China, South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, India, and all nations to outlaw the dog and cat meat trade and to enforce existing laws against the trade, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 1911: Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2018, as amended Vote postponed.
• H.R. 6287: 9/11 Memorial Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2591: To amend the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act to modernize the funding of wildlife conservation, and for other purposes, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3186: Every Kid Outdoors Act Passed 383-2.
• H.R. 6411: FinCEN Improvement Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6561: Comprehensive Care for Seniors Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6662: Empowering Seniors’ Enrollment Decision Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6690: Fighting Fraud to Protect Care for Seniors Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3635: Local Coverage Determination Clarification Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 3764: Little Shell Tribe of Chippewa Indians Restoration Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5923: Walnut Grove Land Exchange Act, as amended Passed 379-3.
• H.R. 4824: Rural Broadband Permitting Efficiency Act of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 2606: Stigler Act Amendments of 2018, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5532: Reconstruction Era National Historical Park Act Passed by voice vote.
• House Amendment to S. 2497: Ileana Ros-Lehtinen United States-Israel Security Assistance Authorization Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 660: Bureau of Reclamation Transparency Act Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 4689: To authorize early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska Passed 376-1.
• H.R. 6040: Contra Costa Canal Transfer Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 5317: To repeal section 2141 of the Revised Statutes to remove the prohibition on certain alcohol manufacturing on Indian lands, as amended Passed by voice vote.

Thursday after 12pm

• Conference Report for H.R. 5895: Energy & Water; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 Passed 377-20.
• H.R. 1911: Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Act of 2018, as amended Passed 393-2.
• House Amendment to S. 3021: America's Water Infrastructure Act of 2018 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 589: Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.
• H.R. 6227: National Quantum Initiative Act, as amended Passed by voice vote.
• S. 97: Nuclear Energy Innovation Capabilities Act of 2017 Passed by voice vote.

Friday between 9am and 3pm

• Votes canceled in advance of Hurricane Florence.
• H.R. 3798: Save American Workers Act of 2017
• H.R. 3398: REAL ID Act Modification for Freely Associated States Act
• H.R. 4431: Correcting Miscalculations in Veterans' Pensions Act, as amended 
• H.R. 4809: GOOD Act, as amended 
• H.R. 4887: GREAT Act, as amended
• H.R. 4917: IG Subpoena Authority Act 
• Concur in the Senate Amendment to H.R. 1109: To amend section 203 of the Federal Power Act
• S. 2857: National Nordic Museum Act
• H.R. 4913: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 816 East Salisbury Parkway in Salisbury, Maryland, as the “Sgt. Maj. Wardell B. Turner Post Office Building”
• H.R. 5349: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1320 Autumn Avenue in Memphis, Tennessee, as the “Judge Russell B. Sugarmon Post Office Building”
• H.R. 5737: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 108 West D Street in Alpha, Illinois, as the “Captain Joshua E. Steele Post Office”
• H.R. 5868: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 530 Claremont Avenue in Ashland, Ohio, as the “Bill Harris Post Office”
• H.R. 5935: To designate the facility at the United States Postal Service located at 1355 North Meridian Drive in Harristown, Illinois, as the “Logan S. Palmer Post Office"
• H.R. 6020: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 325 South Michigan Avenue in Howell, Michigan, as the “Sergeant Donald Burgett Post Office Building”
• H.R. 6116: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 362 North Ross Street in Beaverton, Michigan, as the “Colonel Alfred Asch Post Office”
• H.R. 606: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1025 Nevin Avenue in Richmond, California, as the "Harold D. McCraw, Sr., Post Office Building"
• H.R. 5784: To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2650 North Doctor Martin Luther King Drive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as the “Vel R. Phillips Post Office Building”
• Additional legislative items are possible.

Senate

Wednesday after 5:30pm

• Cloture vote on the nomination of Charles Rettig to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the term expiring November 12, 2022 Invoked 64-34.
• Confirmation vote on the nomination of Charles Rettig to be Commissioner of Internal Revenue for the term expiring November 12, 2022 Confirmed 64-34.
• Conference Report for H.R. 5895: Energy & Water; Legislative Branch; and Military Construction & Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act, 2019 Adopted 92-5.

Rest of the Week

• No votes are expected, as the Senate adjourned in advance of Hurricane Florence.
• Potential consideration of S. 2680: Opioid Crisis Response Act

Tell your reps how to vote on this week's bills and share your thoughts below!

— Eric Revell