United States Capitol building at night
Report

Legislative Updates – June 10, 2024

FY 25

 
House Republicans passed their first of the twelve FY 25 funding bills on the floor this week. The Military Construction-VA bill passed in a 209-197 vote. Four Democrats voted for the bill, while two Republicans voted against the bill. No further FY 25 bills will be considered on the House floor next week or the week after, but during the week of June 24the House is scheduled to consider three FY 25 bills: Homeland Security, Defense, and State-Foreign Operations.

On Tuesday, the House Appropriation’s Agriculture Subcommittee will mark-up their FY 25 Agriculture bill. The bill is expected to be marked up in Full Committee on July 10. The House intends to mark up the Labor-HHS bill in Subcommittee on June 27, with Full Committee markup on July 10.

House Republican leadership hopes to pass all twelve bills in the House by the start of August recess, though last year they managed to get only seven of the 12 bills through the House floor.

Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA)is aiming for a bipartisan agreement. Sen. Murray has not announced subcommittee allocations and has not yet scheduled markups.

While some conservatives are pushing for a Continuing Resolution (CR) into early next year, in hopes that Trump is elected and could influence the appropriations process, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA),said it should be considered, but seemed skeptical of such an approach, given a busy first 100 days agenda in the event Trump wins and Republicans win both chambers.

 

House Ways & Means Subcommittee Hearing on Unemployment Insurance

 
This week the House Ways and Means Committee’s Work and Welfare Subcommittee held a hearing on “Reforming Unemployment Insurance to Support American Workers and Businesses.” Both sides of the aisle acknowledged current challenges with the UI system. Republicans emphasized the inefficiency in allocating tax revenue for UI administration and the need for better public policy to ensure these funds reach state agencies for program improvements. They also focused on addressing disparities in Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) payments and enhancing fraud recovery efforts. Concerns were raised pandemic-era UI benefits disincentivizing workforce reentry. There was a significant focus on RESEA programming and the importance of case managers in aiding UI recipients and strategies to help individuals transition from UI to employment. Democrats concentrated on the need to ensure equitable access and long-term benefits for marginalized workers.

 

Senate HELP Committee Hearing on WIOA Reauthorization

 
On Wednesday, June 2,at 10am Eastern, the Senate HELP Committee, chaired by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) will hold a hearing titled “The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting Efforts to Meet the Needs of Youth, Workers, and Employers”. A witness list has not yet been announced. The Senate has not released it’s WIOA reauthorization bill, but the House passed its WIOA reauthorization bill in April in a 378-26 vote.

 

Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act a Potential NDAA Amendment Next Week

 

Next week, the House Rules Committee will consider the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025. Over 1,300proposed amendments to the bill have been filed, one of which is the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act. The amendment is sponsored by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and House Education and the Workforce Chair Bobby Scott (D-VA). The NDAA advanced out of Committee in a57-1 vote last month. The NDAA is considered must-pass legislation, and amendments could complicate the bill’s passage and negotiations with the Senate. The American Council on Education (ACE) and other four-year higher education associations are writing to chairs and ranking members of the House Rules and Armed Services committees in opposition to including this amendment in NDAA due to its funding offset, which would require most universities subject to the endowment tax to participate in a risk sharing program in which institutions would reimburse the Department of Education for amounts not repaid on federal student loans.

 

Congressman Burgess Owens (R-UT) visits CHP’s office

 

Congressman Burgess Owens visited CHP’s office this week. Rep. Owens is a leading candidate to become the next Chair of the House Education and Workforce Committee (or Ranking Member of the Committee depending on which party controls the House next year) as the current Chair, Dr. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), is term limited.

Rep. Owens described his passion for education and workforce issues and his goal of leaving a lasting legacy as chair of the Committee. He believes a robust middle class is built through education. His father was an agronomist and his mother was an educator and “we will win or lose our nation through the power of education”.

As far as his legislative approach, he believes in innovating, reimagining, evidence-based programming, and second chances –and is seeking input into ways to improve programs within the Committee’s jurisdiction. On workforce issues, he described his interest in credentials, as well as learning and employment records, and expanding apprenticeships. He does not believe that everyone needs to have a four-year degree to find success. He asked what success should look like in this arena and encouraged bringing forth good ideas to the Committee.

 

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