H.R. 3697: Criminal Alien Gang Member Removal Act

This was a vote to approve H.R. 3697 in the House.

The House approved legislation to make deporting immigrants suspected of gang activity easier for the government. Current law allows them to be deported only if they are convicted of crimes. The law approved this week would allow deportation if police can establish illegal immigrants’ affiliation with gangs even without a criminal conviction. The bill’s supporters said the lower standard for deportation was needed because gathering criminal evidence was difficult when witnesses often are intimidated by gang members. “It will ensure that when [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] positively identifies a known alien gang member, they may act immediately,” said Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.), the lead sponsor of the bill. “We don’t have to wait until these brutal killers wield their machetes or leave another body on a children’s playground.” The bill passed by a 233-to-175 margin only after Democrats reached an agreement with President Donald Trump to protect the residency of illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children. It was one of the few concessions on illegal immigration Trump has made. Last week, he announced he would phase out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program that grants protections for the young immigrants.

Passed.

H.R. 3354: Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2018

This was a vote to approve H.R. 3354 in the House.

This appropriations bill funds the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and related agencies for fiscal 2018. The other agencies include the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement and others. The bill decreases  fiscal year funding for the EPA, the Interior Department and the Forest Service. The few funding increases in the bill are for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Indian Health Service and the Smithsonian Institution. Some provisions in the bill institute predominantly Republican policies on issues of greenhouse gas emissions, air and water quality as well as endangered species.

Passed.

H.R. 3284: Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series Act

This was a vote to approve an amendment entitled H.R. 3284 in the House.

The House voted overwhelmingly to approve an amendment to the Homeland Security Act of 2002 that directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a “Joint Counterterrorism Awareness Workshop Series.” The workshops with local authorities and emergency responders are supposed to raise awareness about emerging terrorist threats and to improve the ability of state and local governments to protect against attacks. The workshops are planned to include reviews of terrorism preparedness by local authorities, assistance with contingency plans and help in developing policies and procedures to identify gaps in their response plans. The workshop leaders would be assigned to help local officials identify resources that can close gaps in their security and to share best practices with them. Cities eligible to host the workshops must be participants in the Urban Area Security Initiative.

Passed.

P.N. 363: Pamela Hughes Patenaude, of New Hampshire, to be Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development

This was a vote to pass P.N. 363 in the Senate.

The Senate confirmed Pam Patenaude as the next deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Patenaude had wide support from the housing industry but faced a moderate struggle in the Senate. All of the 17 votes against her in the Senate came from Democrats concerned that she might too closely follow the Trump administration’s conservative housing policies. Nevertheless, the 80 senators who voted for her were enough to confirm her nomination to HUD. Colorado’s Democratic Senator Michael Bennet voted for her. Patenaude has served as housing policy director at the Bipartisan Policy Center and as the HUD assistant secretary for community, planning and development under President George W. Bush. In her new job, Patenaude will handle most of HUD’s daily operations. She will lead HUD’s disaster management group and will “play a primary leadership and operational role in coordinating the long-term recovery efforts of 16 program and support offices within HUD, including the Offices of Public and Indian Housing, Community Planning and Development, Policy Development and Research and Housing / Federal Housing Administration,” according to a HUD statement. One of her first assignments will be to help Florida and Texas residents displaced by hurricanes recover from the disasters that damaged or destroyed their homes.

Passed.

Source: GovTrack