By: Rachel Johnson
The House of Representatives:
- The House passed the Coal Residuals Reuse and Management Act of 2013 on July 25th.
- The bill aims to create a national standard for the disposal of coal ash
- The House passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2014 on July 24th.
- If sequestration continues, an amendment to the bill may go into effect. The first amendment prohibits the allocation of money to furloughed DoD employees paid from the Working Capital Fund.
The Senate:
- Sens. Tom Harkin of Iowa, Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Max Baucus of Montana announced their retirement. All three senators helped write and pass the Affordable Care Act in March 2010. All three have been critical of the implementation of the Act since its passage, but have committed to making the law work prior to leaving office at the end of 2014. Meanwhile, the Committee on Ways and Means will be holding a hearing on August 1st regarding the implementation on the Act.
In the Week Ahead:
- The House will hold hearings regarding the future of US relations with Iran.
- On Wednesday, July 31st, the Committee on Foreign Affairs: Subcommittee on Middle East and North Africa will report on relations between Iran and Syria and what implications they have on the region.
- On Thursday, August 1st, the same Committee will examine the State department’s report on Iranian presence in the Western hemisphere nineteen (19) years after the AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) attack.
