By @Kyle Packham and the National Special Districts Coalition
CSDA is building a coalition letter in support of H.R. 7525, the Special District Grant Accessibility Act, to deliver to the California Congressional Delegation upon the return of the U.S. House and Senate from their upcoming two-week break. To sign on to the letter, simply complete the short form at csda.net/GrantAccessibility. Alternatively, districts may download a sample letter to send to their Congressional Representatives.
The National Special Districts Coalition (NSDC) initially anticipated the House Oversight Committee would hold H.R. 7525 for a time period following the favorable vote in committee to allow additional cosponsors to be added to the bill. However, the committee has filed its report with the House, which means cosponsors can no longer be added.
Those special districts who have sent Co-sponsor Request Letters remain helpful, as the bottom-line messaging to House members is ultimately to support the bill. Any additional letters going forward should reflect the updated Support Request Letter, per the sample letter at csda.net/GrantAccessibility. To be clear: if your district has already sent a Co-Sponsor Request Letter, it is not necessary to send a follow-up letter directly to your Representatives in Congress. However, you may choose to sign-on to CSDA’s coalition letter.
Looking ahead, NSDC is still awaiting signal from the committee and the two primary sponsors of H.R. 7525 regarding timing for floor consideration of the bill following the return of Congress in April from its two-week spring break.
FY 2024 Spending Talks
The main priority for congressional leaders is to avoid a partial government shutdown at week’s end. While Congress recently approved and President Joe Biden signed into law a six-bill, $460 billion spending package that includes funding for six (of 12) spending bills, funding for the remaining six bills (State-Foreign Operations, Defense, Homeland Security, Labor-HHS, Legislative Branch and Financial Services-General Government) is set to expire Friday at midnight. It should be noted that these bills cover roughly 70 percent of all federal discretionary spending. As of this writing, negotiators are reportedly close to finalizing five of the measures, but they have yet to reach agreement on the Homeland Security funding bill. Saying that, congressional leaders are optimistic they will reach a deal within the next day.
House GOP Energy Week
Aside from Fiscal Year 2024 budget talks, the House is set to consider a series of Republican-led energy proposals. This includes legislation (H.R. 7023) aimed at streamlining reviews and providing greater regulatory certainty under the Clean Water Act (CWA) permitting process. H.R. 7023 would also shore up the use of the Nationwide Permit program for oil and gas pipeline projects and block the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing Clean Water Act vetoes in certain circumstances. A separate measure (H.R. 6009) would block a proposal by the Biden Administration to raise the royalty rates that fossil fuel companies pay for drilling on public lands. A third bill (H.R. 1121) on the docket would prohibit the President from issuing a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing. For its part, the Biden Administration has expressed its opposition to all three measures.
Foreign Assistance Funding Package
The aforementioned minibus spending measure will not include the long-stalled supplemental security package, which totals $95 billion to assist Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and others. However, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has indicated that he intends to put a military spending bill on the floor after the House completes action on the Fiscal Year 2024 appropriations process. The strategy and timeline for advancing the measure remains uncertain.
Relevant Hearings and Markups
House Appropriations – This week, the panel will hear from a number of administration officials – including Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Xavier Becerra, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack – on the President’s fiscal year 2025 budget proposal. A full list of hearings can be found here: https://appropriations.house.gov/events/hearings
House Budget – On Thursday morning, the committee will meet to discuss the administration’s fiscal year 2025 budget plan. More information on the hearing can be accessed here.
House Ways and Means – On Wednesday afternoon, HHS Secretary Becerra will testify on the president’s fiscal year 2025 budget. Additional information on the hearing is available here.
Senate Budget – On Wednesday morning, the committee will hold a hearing entitled, “Recreation at Risk: The Nature of Climate Costs.” Additional details on the hearing, including a full witness list, is available here.
Senate Environment and Public Works – On Wednesday morning, the panel will meet for a hearing on “Examining PFAS as Hazardous Substances.” More info on the hearing can be found here.
#AdvocacyNews
#FeatureNews
#Revenue
#Budget
#Energy/Utility