Blog: This Week in Congress: January 27, 2014

Statement

his week, the House is expected to consider four bills, ranging from land management to women's health. The House may also consider the 2014 Farm Bill, which provides funding for the food stamp program and federal agriculture programs, but an agreement between the House and Senate over funding levels for this bill has not yet been reached. Additionally, the President will give his annual State of the Union address to Congress on Tuesday eveing.

Legislation under consideration this week includes:

Good Samaritan Search and Recovery Act (H.R. 2166): directs the Interior and Agriculture departments to develop a process to expedite access to federal lands under their jurisdiction for good-Samaritan search-and-recovery operations.

Ranch A Consolidation Management Improvement Act (H.R. 1684): removes the restrictions under current law on how the state of Wyoming is to manage the Ranch A property -- a 645-acre historic property in northeastern Wyoming -- to allow commercial and recreational development of the property.

H.R. 3008: authorizes the exchange of five acres of land in the Los Padres National Forest in Santa Barbara County, California, for unspecified lands owned by the White Lotus Foundation. The Forest Service lands to be exchanged are those that provide access to the White Lotus property.

H.R. 7: permanently prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for abortion or abortion coverage, prohibits federal medical facilities and health professionals from providing abortion services, and prohibits individuals and small businesses from receiving federal subsidies and tax credits under the Affordable Care Act to purchase health care plans that cover abortions. The use of federal funds or subsidies to purchase an insurance plan that includes abortion coverage through the Affordable Care Act exchange is already prohibited under an executive order issued by President Obama coinciding with passage of the law in 2010.

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