H.R. 3043: Hydropower Policy Modernization Act of 2017

This was a vote to pass H.R. 3043 in the House.

H.R. 3043 is intended to modernize the regulatory permitting process and encourage the expansion of hydropower generation by improving administrative efficiency and accountability. It creates incentives for new hydropower infrastructure and reduces what the electrical generation industry calls duplicative oversight. The legislation establishes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission as the lead agency for all hydropower authorizations and requirements of federal law. The bill modifies the definition of renewable energy to include hydropower, extends the timeframe for preliminary permits from three to four years and extends the time limit on construction “for not more than eight additional years.” The legislation also establishes procedures for trial-type hearings conducted by an administrative law judge to resolve disputes over conditions and fishway prescriptions under Part I of the Federal Power Act. In addition, the legislation is supposed to streamline licensing procedures by minimizing duplication of environmental studies and compiling a collection of relevant studies and data that can be used again for additional licensing applications.

Passed.

H.R. 3911: Risk-Based Credit Examination Act

This was a vote to pass H.R. 3911 in the House.

H.R. 3911 amends the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to make the annual reporting requirements of the Nationally Recognized Statistical Rating Organizations (NRSROs) risk-based. NRSROs are credit rating agencies whose credit ratings are authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to be used by other financial firms to meet regulatory requirements. The legislation is supposed to reduce the burden on NRSROs of the current reporting requirements while maintaining the necessary transparency. Under current law, the SEC’s Office of Credit Ratings conducts annual examinations of how NRSROs performed in eight specified review areas. The agency also produces an annual report on its findings. H.R. 3911 allows the SEC to use its resources more efficiently by authorizing the Office of Credit Ratings to select which of the eight areas will be reviewed for each credit rating agency. Their choice would be based on the risk of a rule violation, rather than a blanket review of all eight areas each year for all the credit rating agencies.

Passed.

H.R. 3441: Save Local Business Act

This was a vote to pass H.R. 3441 in the House.

H.R. 3441 amends the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) to clarify that two or more employers may be considered “joint employers” only if they have “actual, direct and immediate” control over employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment. The legislation rolls back decisions by the NLRB in the Browning-Ferris case and by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in the Salinas v. Commercial Interiors, Inc. case. In those cases, the NLRB and the federal appeals court changed the three-decade-old definition of “joint employment” in a way that created greater liability and costs for businesses. The NLRB’s 2015 definition of joint employer could make companies liable for labor violations committed by other employers with whom they contract, even if they exercise only indirect control over the other employer’s workers. The legislation passed this week returns to a pre-2015 definition of joint employer to mean the only possible liability would be for employers who hire and supervise workers and determine each employee’s pay rate.

Passed.

H.R. 3922: CHAMPION Act

This was a vote to pass H.R. 3922 in the House.

This bill would extend funding for Community Health Centers and other health programs for two years. It would shorten the grace period to repay delinquent premiums for persons receiving government subsidies for non-group health insurance. It also would reduce federal funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund. The Congressional Budget Office estimated the extensions for Community Health Centers funding would increase federal spending by $8.9 billion between 2018 and 2027. Many of the grants under the program are used to pay for infrastructure, management and training to provide health care. Other grants fund diabetes research, sexual abstinence training for young people and scholarships for health care providers who work in underserved communities. The most controversial part of the bill was the shorter grace period for repaying delinquent premiums. Under current law, persons who receive subsidized health insurance are given three months to repay delinquent premiums before the policies are canceled. Just under a half-million of them each year choose to let their insurance lapse after three months rather than pay the delinquent amount. Reducing the grace period to one month before their insurance is canceled would reduce the federal deficit by $4.9 billion between 2018 and 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

Passed.

H.R. 1066: VA Management Alignment Act of 2017

This was a vote to pass H.R. 1066 in the House.

H.R. 1066 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs to submit a one-time report to Congress on the Department’s organizational structure. The report is supposed to describe the roles of individuals and components of the VA. It would draw information from the Independent Assessment of the Health Care Delivery Systems and Management Process of the VA established by the Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, as well as any study or report by the Commission on Care established by the Act and other studies or reports that might be relevant. The report is intended to optimize the effectiveness of the VA’s administration and staff, its medical facilities and the Veteran Integrated Service Network. The legislation is a response to a 2015 Independent Assessment on the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) that found its organizational structure “intensely, unnecessarily complex” and rampant with mistrust and risk aversion. Additional Government Accountability Office reports revealed problems with the VA’s human resources department and showed that the VA did not follow internal and congressional recommendations to fix problems, including long wait times for patients and management failures.

Passed.

H.R. 3562: To amend Title 38 of the U.S. Code to authorize the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide assistance for adaptations of residences of veterans in rehabilitation programs.

This was a vote to pass H.R. 3562 in the House.

H.R. 3562 would allow employees from the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Home Loan Service assigned to implement the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) benefit to also be tasked with providing home adaptation to eligible veterans enrolled in the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (VR&E) program. Most of these veterans would fall under VR&E’s independent living track, meaning they are severely disabled. Home adaptations would be limited to the current SAH cap of $77,307, unless the veteran can demonstrate a need for more funding. The VR&E program provides assistance to veterans whose disabilities prevent them from working. It includes the cost of modifying veterans’ homes to enable them to live independently. VR&E has counselors to offer specialized home adaptations to veterans in need. However, they often do not have the proper knowledge of how to appropriately adapt a home. This bill tasks SAH agents who know about home adaptations with additional responsibility of ensuring veterans receive the best in-home care available for them.

Passed.

Source: GovTrack