Blog: This Week in Congress: December 9, 2013

Statement

This week, the House is expected to consider 11 bills, ranging from veterans services to the federal budget.

The Kilah Davenport Child Protection Act of 2013 (H.R. 3627): adds domestic assaults against children to the crimes for which enhanced federal penalties against habitual offenders may be imposed.

Death in Custody Reporting Act of 2013 (H.R. 1447): reauthorizes the Death in Custody Reporting Act, which requires state law enforcement agencies to report data to the Justice Department on deaths that occur to individuals in custody after arrest, in local jails or in state prisons. It also imposes penalties on states for non-compliance and extends the act's reporting requirements to federal law enforcement agencies.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Major Medical Facility Lease Authorization Act of 2013 (H.R. 3521): authorizes $237 million in FY 2014 for Veterans Affairs (VA) Department leases at 27 major medical facilities around the country. It also establishes new reporting requirements for the VA, including requiring the VA to either record the full cost of all the payments to be made under the terms of a lease in its budget

VA Expiring Authorities Extension Act of 2013 (H.R. 1402): extends the authority of the Veterans Affairs Department (VA) to provide certain services and payments for veterans that would otherwise expire at the end of the year, including nursing home care, housing, and transportation services. It also expands the VA's authority to support disabled veterans engaging in certain sport-related activities including the Paralympics.

Native American Veterans' Memorial Amendments Act (HR 2319): authorizes the National Native American Veterans' Memorial to be built on the property of the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall, in lieu of the current requirement that the memorial be placed inside the museum.

Alicia Dawn Koehl Respect for National Cemeteries Act (S. 1471): authorizes the Veterans Affairs and Army secretaries to reconsider a decision to bury a person in a national cemetery and to disinter those who do not qualify if the secretary receives information that the individual may have committed a federal or state capital crime but was not convicted because no trial was held, either because the individual died or fled to avoid prosecution.

Sean and David Goldman International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act of 2013 (H.R. 3212): encourages the secretary of State to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with non-Hague Convention countries for the quick and orderly return of U.S. children who have been abducted to countries that are not signatories of the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, including the children of U.S. servicemen and women who are kidnapped from parents serving overseas.

Israel QME Enhancement Act (H.R. 1992): requires the president to submit a report to Congress on the status of weapons systems sold to countries in the Middle East every two years, instead of the current four-year period. It also requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress within 90 days on the range of asymmetric and cyberthreats posed to Israel by state and non-state actors, and the joint efforts of the United States and Israel to address such threats.

Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2013 (H.R. 3509): requires the Secretary of State to report to Congress on the status of post-earthquake recovery and development efforts in Haiti twice a year through 2016.

Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act of 2013 (H.R. 2019): authorizes $12.6 million a year for 10 years for pediatric research grants at the National Institutes of Health, using funds currently designated for national party conventions in the Presidential Election Campaign Fund (PECF).

FY 2014-2015 federal budget (H.R. ___): this two-year budget, crafted by House and Senate negotiators, finances the federal government through September 30, 2015. It eliminates roughly $63 billion in across-the-board sequester cuts while providing $23 billion in deficit reduction by extending a 2 percent cut to Medicare providers through 2023.

Source