Podcasts about congressional dish episode

We're making it easy for you to judge the job performances of your members of Congress! In this episode, Jen tells you about a list of single issue votes that were taken in the House and Senate during the 118th Congress. Most importantly, we gave you all the information you need to find your members' voting records in this episode's show notes. You can find your 2024 Congressional Election Study guide in the episode 301 show notes on www.congressionaldish.com. Happy voting! Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Enacted Laws Congressional Dish Episode: ← find how your Representative voted here ← find how your Senator voted here Effects of H.R. 7888: Expands the number of people allowed to be legally spied on by the U.S. government and the number of people with information stored in the FISA database (which has information about Americans whose data has been collected along with information about foreigners). It does so by… Giving the Department of Justice (DOJ) permission to search the FISA database to vet foreigners who are applying for tourist visas to visit the United States and Expanding the definition of ‘foreign intelligence' to include counter narcotics targets. Expands the number of companies who get legal immunity for turning our information over to the government by expanding the definition of “electronic communications service provider”. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is no longer legally allowed to search the FISA database solely to find evidence of a crime. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is prohibited from using uncorroborated information from political groups or anonymous sources in press reports to get FISA warrants. Limits the number of people within the government who are allowed to search through the database. Background Sources for H.R. 7888: INTEL.gov. Michael Horowitz. April 27, 2023. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General. Jonathan Turley. December 14, 2019. The Hill. Conor Clarke. February 2014. Stanford Law Review. “The Biggs Amendment” to H.R. 7888 [failed] ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effect of the Biggs Amendment: Would require U.S. government officials to get a warrant before searching through the FISA database for information about U.S. citizens or companies, with emergency exceptions. Congressional Dish Episode: ← find how your Representative voted here Effects of H.R. 7521: It is now illegal for companies to provide internet hosting services, distribute, and/or update “foreign adversary controlled applications”, websites, or games, which are partially owned by a foreign person and are determined by the President - with no proof required - to pose “a significant threat to the national security of the United States.” Establishes a process that allows companies to host, distribute, and/or update if the app, website, or game changes ownership. If companies host, distribute, and/or update the targeted apps, websites, or games, the companies are subject to fines that - depending on the user base of the targeted app, website, or game - can be hundreds of billions of dollars. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 8034: Provide almost $26 billion to Israel. 64% of the money would be for war expenses 35% of the money would be for humanitarian purposes Less than 1% of the money would be for diplomatic expenses Provide $400 million for FEMA Background Sources for H.R. 8034: April 17, 2024. Al Jazeera. Fatima Al-Kassab. January 26, 2024. NPR. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 8035: Provide over $60 billion for Ukraine (and other neighboring countries) 83% of the money would be for war expenses 16.5% of the money would be for humanitarian expenses Less than 0.5% of the money would be for diplomatic expenses Provide $341 million for production of nuclear weapons materials and nuclear nonproliferation programs House Bills ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 7023: Double the length of permits to discharge pollutants in waterways from 5 years to 10 years Removes the EPA administrators ability to prohibit discharges in specific disposal sites if he determines that the discharge of materials will have an unacceptable adverse effect on municipal water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, or recreational areas after a disposal permit has been issued. Creates nationwide permits to allow for transmission projects for people, water, wastewater, carbon dioxide, fuel, and oil and gas pipelines that do not result in a “loss greater than 1/2 acre of waters of the United States for each single and complete project” In reissuing these nationwide permits, the EPA would not be required to consult with a state nor any other Federal agency and these permits will get to short cut environmental assessments that are required by the National Environmental Policy Act. Limits judicial review Puts a 60 day time limit after the permit is issued for a judicial review Doesn't allow anyone who didn't file a comment during the public comment period to file a lawsuit. If someone did file a comment, they may not file a lawsuit about anything that they didn't address in their comment. Prohibits the court from vacating, revoking, or limiting the permit unless the court finds that the activities authorized “present an imminent and substantial danger to human health or the environment for which there is not other equitable remedy available under the law' Approves an end-of-Trump administration EPA approval for Florida to administer Clean Water Act permitting. Background Sources for H.R. 7023: Becky Bohrer and Patrick Whittle. January 31, 2023. PBS News. July 19, 2016. Earthjustice. Earthjustice. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 1435: Prohibit states from banning fossil fuel burning internal combustion engines in cars and trucks. Effectively revokes the EPA waiver that allows California to ban the sale of fossil fuel burning cars. Background Sources for H.R. 1435: Jeff St. John. September 23, 2020. Greentech Media. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended effects of H.R. 7176: Give the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the “exclusive authority” to approve or deny applications to export natural gas from the United States to a foreign country, which eliminates requirements for Department of Energy approval and provisions to address free trade agreements. Deems exportation or importation of natural gas to be in the public interest. Background Sources for H.R. 7176: September 26, 2024. National Drought Mitigation Center. Zachary-Taylor Wright. September 17, 2024. MySA. Steven Santana. July 23, 2024. MySA. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 6543: Requires providers of short term lodging (hotels and AirBnBs) and Internet platforms that advertise and sell short term lodging to display the total price including all mandatory fees, except for government taxes and fees. ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 3950: Requires ticket issuers and secondary market ticket issuers to clearly display the total ticket price, including all fees, at the time the ticket price is first displayed and provides an itemized list of charges before the ticket purchasing process is complete. Prohibits ticket issuers and secondary market ticket issuers from selling tickets that they do not physically possess at the time of sale. Prohibits secondary ticket issuers from using the word ‘official' or similar words implying a partnership in their marketing and search engine wording unless they have the consent of the venue, team, or artist. Requires ticket issuers to provide a refund or a similar ticket to a rescheduled event, with the approval of the customer, if an event is canceled or postponed (except for in case of a natural disaster or other event beyond the ticket issuer's control). ← find how your Representative voted here Intended Effects of H.R. 4639: Prohibits law enforcement or the intelligence community from buying customer or subscriber information directly from companies or from data brokers. Any information “illegitimately obtained” is not allowed to be used against us in court. Has exceptions for FISA surveillance of foreigners. Limits immunity for companies that comply with surveillance orders and do not stop the surveillance when a court order is denied. Background Sources for H.R. 4639: Carly Page. July 18, 2022. TechCrunch. Senior Advisory Group Panel on Commercially Available Information. January 27, 2022. Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Byron Tau. June 19, 2020. The Wall Street Journal. Senate Bills ← find how your Senator voted here Intended Effects of S. 316: Repeal the authorizations for US military operations in Iraq that were passed in 1991 and 2002. Background Sources for S. 316: Meghann Myers. January 25, 2024. Military Times. ← find how your Senator voted here Intended Effects of S. 4072: To prevent the enforcement of the , which would set stricter standards for fossil fuel burning cars and trucks that would be phased in between model year 2027 and 2032. Prohibits enforcement of any similar rule that could be written in the future. The standards could be met via the production of cleaner fossil fuel powered vehicles, hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and electric vehicles. EPA estimates the air pollution reductions would provide ~$13 billion in reduced annual health care costs by preventing the emission of thousands of tons of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic compounds. EPA estimates the new standards would save Americans $46 billion per year in fuel costs and $16 billion per year due to reduced maintenance and repair costs for drivers, totaling ~$6,000 over the course of a new vehicle's lifetime. ← find how your Senator voted here Intended Effects of S. 4445: Guarantees an individual's rights to receive fertility treatment, make decisions regarding the donation, use, storage, and disposal of oocytes, sperm, fertilized eggs and embryos, and enter contracts with health care providers to enact those decisions. Guarantees a health provider's right to provide fertility treatments and provide for testing, use, storage, shipping, and disposal of genetic material including oocytes, sperm, fertilized eggs, and embryos. Guarantees a health insurance provider's right to cover fertility treatments. Guarantees a manufacturer's right to manufacture, import, market, sell, and distribute drugs and devices that are used for fertility treatments. Allows lawsuits against any State or individual who interferes with the right to fertility treatments by the Attorney General, health care providers, and individuals adversely affected. This would supersede any State law regardless of when it was enacted and prohibits enforcement of any state law that is in conflict with these rights. Requires the Department of Defense to provide fertility treatments (specifically three egg retrievals and unlimited embryo transfers) to active duty military members and their spouses. Requires health plans, Medicaid, and Medicare that cover obstetrical (child birth related) services to also provide coverage for fertility treatments. Background sources for S. 4445: Maya C. Miller. September 17, 2024. The New York Times. Alander Rocha. April 3, 2024. Alabama Reflector. Alander Rocha. February 19, 2024. Alabama Reflector. Audio Sources March 21, 2024 Clips Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA): My colleagues have criticized EPA's use of its Clean Water Act review or veto authority. Yet, the record shows EPA's use of this authority has been consistent with congressional intent. I see no reason for removing this authority. Since enactment of the Clean Water Act in 1972, EPA has only exercised this authority 14 times—most recently in relation to large-scale mining proposals in Alaska and West Virginia. EPA's use of this authority has, in fact, been bipartisan. EPA used it 2 times during Democratic administrations and 12 times during Republican administrations. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO): This bill will cut red tape, strengthen the permitting process in favor of those seeking the permits, provide clarity to the EPA to ensure that they are following what the law intends, and, most importantly, fight back against the militant climate agenda. Rep. Eric Burlison (R-MO): Our court system is already being attacked from every angle. Let's not let the environmentalists continue to manipulate the courts to push their climate religion. It should be an efficient and speedy process so businesses can build the infrastructure that our country depends on. Rep. David Rouser (R-NC): Mr. Chairman, in closing, I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill, which provides energy predictability and certainty that our utilities, energy, manufacturing, and agricultural industries need to succeed, which are so critical to American greatness in energy, food production, and the manufacturing necessary to improve the standard of living of every American. That is what this is about, Mr. Chairman. Music by Editing Production Assistance

Jennifer Briney, from the Congressional Dish podcast, exposes the Federal Reserve from its inception on Jekyll Island to today, inflation ("the sneaky tax"), Special Drawing Rights, quantitative easing, and more. Listen to her CD201: "WTF is the Federal Reserve?" and subscribe to the congressional Dish podcast. ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ CONTACT ✅ ► Jennifer Briney: https://twitter.com/JenBriney ►Instagram: @jenbriney  ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ LINKS MENTIONED ✅ ► The Congressional Dish: https://congressionaldish.com/ ► Congressional Dish Episode 201: https://congressionaldish.com/cd201-wtf-is-the-federal-reserve/ ► Special Drawing Rights https://www.imf.org/en/About/Factsheets/Sheets/2016/08/01/14/51/Special-Drawing-Right-SDR ► Federal Reserve: https://www.federalreserve.gov/ ►Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World by Nomi Prins:  https://www.amazon.com/Collusion-Central-Bankers-Rigged-World/dp/1568585624   ► Danielle Dimartino Booth: https://dimartinobooth.com/ ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ JENNIFER'S FAVORITE PODCASTS ✅ ►Joe Rogan Experience: http://podcasts.joerogan.net/ ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬●  ✅ SUBSCRIBE ANYWHERE ✅ ►https://CryptoCousins.com/Subscribe ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ BITBLOCKBOOM ✅ ► Take a look at the Bitcoin Conference I am hosting in Dallas, Texas at https://BitBlockBoom.com ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ MY WEBSITES ✅ ► https://4MinuteCrypto.com ► https://CryptoCousins.com ► https://ArlingtonCrypto.com ► https://CryptoPodcaster.com ► https://GaryLeland.com ► https://BitBlockBoom.com ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ MY CONTACT INFO ✅ ► Email me at TheCryptoCousins@gmail.com ► Message me at https://Facebook.com/msg/GaryLeland ► Leave a voice comment at 817-476-0660 ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ MY SOCIAL MEDIA ✅ ► https://Twitter.com/GaryLeland ► https://Facebook.com/GaryLelands ► https://Linkedin.com/in/GaryLeland ► https://Instagram.com/Gary_Leland ► https://Steemit.com/@CryptoCousins ► https://GaryLeland.Tumblr.com ► https://Minds.com/GaryLeland ► https://Gab.com/GaryLeland ► https://Pinterest.com/garyleland ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ MY AUDIO PODCASTS ✅ ► https://4MinuteCrypto.com ► https://CryptoCousins.com ► https://BitBlockBoom.com/Podcast ► http://RailroadedPodcast.com ► http://WhatIsBitcoinPodcast.com ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ SHOW YOUR SUPPORT ✅ ► https://Patreon.com/CryptoCousins ► https://4CousinsCrypto.com/Donate ► https://Tippin.me/@GaryLeland ► https://Cash.me/$CryptoCousins ► With Crypto - https://4MinuteCrypto.com/Donate ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ USEFUL LINKS ✅ ► Earn free Bitcoin while you shop at Lolli - https://GaryLeland.com/Lolli ► The best Bitcoin book - https://4MinuteCrypto.com/Bitcoin ► Subscribe to Alexa Flash Briefings - https://4MinuteCrypto.com/Alexa ► Get $10 in Bitcoin free at Coinbase -https://CryptoCousins.com/Coinbase ► Bitcoin Clothing & Gear - https://CryptoCrybaby.com ► Brave Browser - https://Brave.com/cry570 ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● Gary is available to keynote or emcee or present at your Bitcoin/Crypto event. Contact Gary at GaryLeland@gmail.com for additional info. ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ THIS IS A CRYPTO PODCASTER PRODUCTION ✅ ► Podcast edited by John Bukenas. ► Outro and intro by Elsie Escobar. ► Show Notes by Patrick Hafey ●▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬● ✅ DISCLAIMER ✅ This article should not be taken as is, and is not intended to provide, investment advice.

Margy is all about hot springs after visiting the West Coast, and Jess is getting lots of flowers in the mail! In this episode, Jess and Margy discuss their favorite podcasts, what makes them SO GREAT and how to make YOUR listeners obsessed with you.   How to Make Your Listeners Obsessed With You: Go on Tour Meet your listeners Conferences are a great way to do this! When The Minimalists first started touring, no one showed up, but they kept at it! We’re seeing My Favorite Murder live at LA Podcast Festival (EEEK!!!)   Create Other Content Jess found The Minimalists through their documentary originally You can build your audience on a different platform (blog, YouTube, etc)   Be Yourself People who like you will stick around, and the sooner you repel the people who don’t like you, the better! The Minimalists and the My Favorite Murder gals have great banter, which we love because we love THEM! Dave Jackson has great banter with himself It can take time to feel comfortable being yourself   Focus on Developing Yourself as a Speaker and/or Entertainer Study other speakers or comedians Check out toastmasters You may not be good at this right away   Prepare! The more you put in, the more your listeners will get Congressional Dish hosted by Jen Briney is a great example- Jen does a ton of work for her audience and is an amazing journalist Josh of The Minimalists said on an episode that he had 6 pages of notes   Be Unique with Your Content Our favorite podcasts cover unique topics that they are very passionate about (true crime, congress and minimalism) The didn’t start out to be famous, they were just passionate about their unique topic Jen Briney covers things that most mainstream media doesn’t cover- there is a ton of original content out there waiting to be covered!     Inspire Your Listeners to Create a Community Margy is a Murderino, the name for fans of MFM, many of whom are in a FB group together The Minimalists have meetups in all different cities When your listeners form their own communities and interact with each other, the show takes on a life of its own   Stop Advertising at the Beginning of the Show (unless it’s really funny) My Favorite Murder does very funny ad reads, so they are an exception In general, don’t ask your listeners to do something before you have given them any content (i.e. right at the beginning of the show) Brand new listeners aren’t going to do something for you before they have gotten to know you and your show   Choose Your Co-Hosts/Guests Wisely Co-host dynamic is everything Don’t co-host with anyone you couldn’t spend a full week on vacation with The Minimalists and MFM are both pairs of bffs Sell your personality as much as your content   Invest in Your Show If you want to succeed, you have to invest! Many successful shows have teams to help produce the show Have good equipment   Final Thoughts:   You DON’T have to go viral. Don’t start a podcast to be famous, start a podcast because you love it. Podcasts are passion projects!   If you are an entrepreneur podcasting to connect with potential clients, you DON’T need a huge audience to see results. You just need the RIGHT audience! It can also be a great tool for client retention as you can feature them and make content directly for them.     Episodes to Start with:   My Favorite Murder: Episode 85: Live at the Boulder Theater   The Minimalists Podcast: Episode 91: Nostalgia   Congressional Dish: Episode 157: Failure to Repeal   Resources Mentioned:   The Minimalist Podcast   My Favorite Murder   LA Podcast Festival   Congressional Dish   Jen Briney   Dave Jackson   Toastmasters   Podcast Movement   MFM Facebook Group   @InterviewConnections   Julie Broad  

Transportation: We all need it, and Congress funded it. In this episode, we take a detailed look into the FAST Act, which funds our national transportation network for the next five years. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! H.R. 22: FAST Act ("Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act) Bill Highlights Division A - Surface Transportation Title I - Federal-Aid Highways Funding level Highways will get an average of 41 billion per year. Private Freight Grants: $500 million can go to private rail freight companies to upgrade rail infrastructure; the Federal share of these projects is capped at 60%. Acceleration of Projects Creates a pilot program that will allow States to conduct environmental reviews, using their own State laws, instead of using the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Capped at 5 States The State can only be approved if the Secretary of Transportation determines the laws of the State are at least as stringent as the Federal requirements. No lawsuits will be allowed, challenging the permit approval, after 2 years. The program will sunset in 12 years Miscellaneous The Department of Transportation will identify national corridors for installation of electric car charging stations and hydrogen, propane, and natural gas refueling stations by the end of 2016. The goal is to have the charging and refueling stations deployed by September 30, 2020. Allows the Department of Transportation to move swallows from under bridges that need fixing until the Interior Department issues final rules. The Secretary of the Interior can suspend the authorization to move the swallows. Title III - Public Transportation Funding level The Mass Transit Account will provide and caps expenditures at an average of $9.7 billion per year. $199 million for positive train control installation, which can be used to pay for up to 80% of the cost. Buy American Requires American steel, iron, or manufactured goods to be purchased, when possible. Title IV - Highway Traffic Safety Provides grants to States in return for their establishment of laws that prohibit texting and driving. Prohibits Federal grant money from funding for State & local programs for checking for motorcycle helmet usage or checkpoints for motorcycle monitoring. Impaired Driving Provides grants to States for implementation of drunk driving laws. Orders a study and report to Congress on marijuana-impaired driving by the end of 2016. Title V - Motor Carrier Safety Drug Test Expansion Allows companies to conduct preemployment and random tests of commercial drivers for alcohol and controlled substances using hair testing as an alternative to urine testing. Allows for religious exemptions Title VI - Innovation Highway User Fees Grants will be provided to States that create user-fee programs for funding the Highway Trust Fund. The goal is to test the design and public acceptance of two or more user fee systems. Private vendors can be used to operate the fee collection systems. The fees collected will not be considered "tolls" Public Access to Research A database of all Department of Transportation research projects will be available on a public website and updated once per year. Title VII - Hazardous Materials Transportation Special permits Speeds up the decision time for special permits for transporting hazardous material by 60 days The decisions will be available to the public "Wetlines" Requires the Secretary of Transportation to kill a proposed rule that would have prohibited the transportation of flammable liquids in the pipes underneath tankers Transportation of flammable liquids by rail Within a year, the Secretary of Transportation has to create regulations to require railroads to report accurate, real-time information about hazardous liquids being transported to the local fusion centers, who will share the information with State and local first responders. Tank cars that do not meet Federal standards can still be used to transport oil and ethanol until 2018 or May 2025, depending on the type of tank car. The Secretary of Transportation can extend the deadlines for up to 2 years The Secretary of Transportation will have 180 days to create regulations to make sure that tank cars modified to meet Federal standards be equipped with insulating blankets that have been approved by the Secretary. Title XI - Rail Funding Levels Amtrak, which owns the tracks and passenger cars operating in the Northeast, will get an average of $519 million per year. For Amtrak operations in the rest of the country, where private freight companies own our tracks, Amtrak will receive an average of $1 billion per year. Food and Beverage Reform Amtrak will have 90 days to develop a plan to eliminate the operating loss associated with offering food and beverages on Amtrak trains in a way that doesn't eliminate any Amtrak employee positions Amtrak will be cut off from Federal funds to cover food and beverage related operating losses in December 2021. Pets on Trains Amtrak will have one year to launch a pilot program allowing dogs and cats on trains Gulf Coast Rail A working group will be created and have nine months to develop a recommendation for the best option for restoring intercity rail passenger transportation between New Orleans, LA and Orlando, FL. Privatizing long distance routes The Secretary of Transportation will have to create a pilot program by mid-2017 that will allow non-Amtrak companies to operate up to 3 long distance passenger rail routes. The non-Amtrak operator will have control of the route for four years and it can be renewed once for an additional four year period. The operator will be given an operating subsidy for up to 90% of what the government is giving Amtrak. The non-Amtrak operator can be the private company that owns the tracks, another private company that has an agreement with the track owners or the States. The non-Amtrak operator will be given access to Amtrak's reservation system, stations, and operations facilities and will be required to give hiring preferences to the Amtrak employees laid off because of the transfer. Cameras on Trains By the end of 2017, the Secretary of Transportation must create regulations requiring inward and outward facing cameras in the control cabs on all passenger trains Liability Cap Amtrak can not be held liable for more than $295 million for the fatal accident that occurred on May 12, 2015. Title XXIV - Motor Vehicle Safety Recall Information The Secretary of Transportation will have until the end of 2017 to create a public website for easily accessible information on vehicle safety recalls. Information about recalls will have to be sent to consumers electronically in addition to first class mail. There will be a two year pilot program testing the idea of States informing customers of recalls when they register their vehicles. Doubles the amount of time consumers get to have their recalled tires replaced from 60 days to 180 days. Rental Car Safety Rental car companies with more than 35 cars can sell, lease, or rent out cars only after they have fixed whatever was recalled. They can continue to rent out the cars until the solution is available, if it is not immediately available at the time they are notified. Motor Safety Violation Penalties Increases the penalties from $5,000 per violation to $21,000 per violation, capped at $105 million. Driver Privacy Information from a car's event data recorder can only be accessed by someone other than the owner or lessee if it's authorized by a court, is provided willingly by the owner/lessee, is needed for emergency response purposes, or is for traffic safety research and the personally identifiable information is hidden. Tires The Secretary of Transportation will create regulations for tire fuel efficiency minimum performance standards, taking steps to ensure that wet traction functionality is not effected. Creates a publicly searchable electronic database for tire recall information Whistleblowers If a whistleblower gives credible and unique information about a safety problem to the Secretary of Transportation that results in sanctions, the whistleblower can get between 10 and 30 percent of the award. Title XXXII - Offsets Passport Denials for Tax Delinquencies If a person has a seriously delinquent tax debt over $50,000, the Secretary of State must deny new passports and can revoke, or limit existing passports. Privatize Tax Collection Forces the Treasury Secretary to issue at least one contract for tax collection services by April 2016. Customs Fees Increases a list of customs fees every year with inflation. Federal Reserve Funds Limits the amount of money that can be held by the Federal Reserve banks to $10 billion and transfers the remainder to the general fund of the Treasury. Adjusts dividends for Federal Reserve stockholders to the lower of the rate of the 10 year Treasury notes or 6 percent Strategic Petroleum Reserve Requires the Secretary of Energy to sell at least 66 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and deposit the money into the general fund of the Treasury. The amount sold may be increased at the discretion of the Energy Secretary until the revenue totals $6.2 billion. Crop Insurance Profits Repeals a part of the Bipartisan Budget Act that caps the returns for crop insurance providers at 8.9% Oil & Gas Royalties Eliminates interest payments that oil and gas companies could accrue on overpayments. PAYGO Scorecard The effects of this law on the budget will not be counted Title LI - Taxpayer protection provisions and increased accountability Export-Import Bank Reauthorizes the Export-Import bank until September 30, 2019 and reduces the amount of loans, guarantees, and insurance the Export-Import bank can have outstanding to $135 billion (from $140 billion). Requires the Export-Import bank to hold 5% of it's funds in reserve to protect against losses. Requires independent audits of the Export-Import bank's portfolio Creates a pilot program that allows the Export-Import Bank to enter into contracts to "share risks". The amount of liability allowed to be transferred is capped at a total of $10 billion. Title LV - Other Matters Environmental Law Waivers In an emergency during which there is a sudden increase in energy demand - which includes during a war that the United States is involved in - "any party" that follows an order to generate electricity can not be sued for violating "any Federal, State, or local environmental law or regulation". The order that allows immunity for breaking environmental laws will expire in 90 days, but the order can be renewed as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission "determines necessary to meet the emergency and serve the public interest." If the emergency order is set aside by a court, the immunity remains. Strategic Transformer Reserve The Secretary of Energy will have one year to create a plan to store spare large power transformers and substations that are critical infrastructure or support military installations. Title LXXI - Improving Access to Capital for Emerging Growth Companies Makes it easier and faster for a company that makes under $1 billion per year to offer stock to the public. Title LXXII - Disclosure Modernization and Simplification Reduces paperwork for companies that make under $1 billion per year and want to offer stock to the public. Title LXXIII - Bullion and Collectible Coin Production Efficiency and Cost Savings Removes the requirement that collectable coins be 10% copper Title LXXIV - SBIC Advisors Relief Investment advisors who solely advise small business investment companies will be able to be excluded from registration requirements even if they are managing assets over $150 million (current limit for exemption from registration requirements). Title LXXV - Eliminate Privacy Notice Confusion Banks will not have to mail privacy notices to their customers if they haven't changed their policies since the last disclosure was sent. Title LXXVI - Reforming Access for Investments in Startup Enterprises Allows privately held shares to be sold to "accredited investors" without registering the securities with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Title LXXXII - Capital Access for Small Community Financial Institutions Allows privately insured credit unions to become members of Federal Home Loan Banks if they are FDIC eligible or are certified by the State If the State doesn't get to it in under 6 months, the application is deemed approved. Title LXXXIII - Small Bank Exam Cycle Reform Doubles the size of a bank that counts as a "small bank" from banks that have less than $500 million to banks that have less than $1 billion for the purpose of allowing those banks to have on-site examinations by regulators every 18 months instead of every year. Sound Clip Sources Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments-Part 1, November 3, 2015. Hearing: House Rules Committee Meeting on Highway Bill Amendments, Part 2, November 3, 2015. Hearing: Federal Railroad Administration Confirmation Hearing, Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, September 17, 2015 Hearing: Positive Train Control, House Transportation Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, June 24, 2015. Hearing: Amtrak Derailment, House Transportation and Infrastructer Committee, June 2, 2015. Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes Congressional Dish Episode 99: April Takes a Turn By Jennifer Briney, June 27, 2015 Congressional Dish Episode 73: Amtrak, By Jennifer Briney, June 24, 2014 Congressional Dish Episode 62: The Farm Bill By Jennifer Briney, February 8, 2014. Reports Federal Public Transportation Program: In Brief By William J. Mallett, December 28, 2015. Congressional Budget Office: H.R. 22, the FAST Act, December 2, 2015. Additional Reading Article: Rental companies now have to repair recalled cars By Chris Isidore, CNN Money, June 1, 2016. Article: NTSB: Philly Amtrak crash engineer’s fault By Bill Cummings, CtPost, May 17, 2016. Article: With RAISE Act, Congress Paves Way For Private Secondary Markets By Shriram Bhashyam, TechCrunch, December 20, 2015. Article: Highway Bill Restores Crop Insurance Funding Cut in Budget Deal, Insurance Journal, December 4, 2015. Article: Fewer Taxpayer Giveaways Would Cut The Fat, Not ‘Cripple’ Crop Insurance By Shannon Van Hoesen, Environmental Working Group, December 3, 2015. Article: FAST Act (H.R. 22): Surface Transportation Conference Report Released By Robert S. Kirk, December 2, 2015. Article: $305B highway bill taps Fed, oil reserves By Keith Lang, The Hill, December 1, 2015. Article: Congress votes to delay rail safety mandate by 3 to 5 years, fund transportation programs By Joan Lowy, U.S. News and World Report, October 28, 2015. Article: Ag Committee Leaders Stand United Against Reopening Farm Bill to New Crop Insurance Cuts By Meghan Cline, United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, October 27, 2015. Article: 'Devastating' crop insurance cut sends lawmakers scrambling By Philip Brasher, Agri-Pulse, October 27, 2015. Article: Rail-safety deadline extension hitched to must-pass bill on transit funding By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 27, 2015. Article: Deadline for train safety technology undercut by industry lobbying By Ashley Halsey III and Michael Laris, The Washington Post, October 25, 2015. Article: Stop pretending you know what the Export-Import Bank is By Simone Pathe, PBS, September 15, 2014. Article: REUTERS SUMMIT-U.S. Ex-Im bank would back Airbus sales -Hochberg By Alwyn Scott and Tim Hepher, Reuters, September 10, 2014. Article: CARGO TANK TRUCKS: Improved Incident Data and Regulatory Analysis Would Better Inform Decisions about Safety Risks By Susan A. Fleming, U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 11, 2013. Article: How the cult of shareholder value wrecked American business By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post, September 9, 2013. Article: NTTC Asks LaHood to Halt Rulemaking On Wetlines Procedures, Tanker Design By Timothy Cama, Transport Topics, October 10, 2011. Article: Hazardous Materials: Safety Requirements for External Product Piping on Cargo Tanks Transporting Flammable Liquids By Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, January 27, 2011. Additional Information U.S. Department of Homeland Security Budget-in-Brief Fiscal Year 2016 U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration Budget Estimates, Fiscal Year 2016 Metra Website: Positive Train Control Joint Explanatory Statement explaining the FAST Act OpenSecrets: Profile of National Tank Truck Carriers Inc OpenSecrets: Top Contributors to Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Top Contributing Industries for Chairman of the House Transportation Committee, Bill Shuster OpenSecrets: Career Profile for Rep. Steve Stivers of Ohio's 15th district Website: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Website: Export-Import Bank of the United States Website: Risk Management Agency/U.S. Department of Agriculture: Crop Insurance Providers List for 2016 Website: Department of Transportation Fact Sheet Website: United States Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics: Transportation Fatalities by Mode YouTube: 9/11 hijackers at Dulles Airport, October 3, 2008. Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

More bills than anyone could possible read were passed by a branch of Congress in June, including the 994 page National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), four government funding bills, and thirty bills governing a wide range of topics, including Wall Street, MediCare, fishing, carbon dioxide emissions, stolen art, chemical storage, taxes, and more. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute with PayPal or Bitcoin; click the PayPal "Make it Monthly" checkbox to create a monthly subscription Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! New Congressman Rep. Trent Kelly of Mississippi's 1st district was sworn into office Emergency The Obama Administration continued the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13405 on June 16, 2006 with respect to Belarus Bulletin: Prospects for Belarus' Membership in the WTO by Anna Maria Dyner, The Polish Institute of International Affairs, July 31, 2013. Laws H.R. 2048: USA Freedom Act Outlined and discussed in Congressional Dish Episode 98: The USA Freedom Act H.R. 2620: United States Cotton Futures Act Hearing: House Agriculture Committee, June 17, 2015. Exempts cotton from foreign companies from part of the United Sates Cotton Futures Act, which will allow foreign cotton companies to participate in cotton futures trading. Current law only allows 100% U.S. cotton to be traded on the futures exchange. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. David Scott of Georgia's 13th district His #2 contributor is ICE Group, (stands for Intercontinental Exchange) which is a network of financial exchanges and clearing houses; it operates eleven exchanges, including three in the United States, Canada, and Europe that deal with agriculture futures. The company has ten lobbyists and has spent over $1.3 million lobbying for the last Congressional election. In the last election cycle, ICE Group gave more to Rep. David Scott than to any other politician, and over the years, the company has given Rep. David Scott at least $73,850. 1 page H.R. 1626: DHS IT Duplication Reduction Act Makes the DHS submit a report about the department's technology and gives them no additional money to complete it. Passed the House of Representatives and the Senate by voice votes Sponsored by Rep. Will Hurd of Texas's 23rd district 2 pages Bills H.R. 1735: National Defense Authorization Act Passed the House of Representatives 269-151 The version passed by the House of Representatives received a veto threat by President Obama Passed the Senate with changes 71-25 Sponsored by Rep. Mac Thorneberry of Texas's 13th district 994 pages Weird advertisement for the NDAA H.R. 2685: Department of Defense Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 278-149 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey's 11th district 170 pages H.R. 2596: Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 247-178 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Devin Nunes of California's 22nd district 63 pages H.R. 2578: Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 Passed the House of Representatives 242-183 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. John Culberson of Texas's 7th district 218 pages H.R. 2577: Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act Passed the House of Representatives 216-210 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Mario Diaz-Balart of Florida's 25th district 354 pages H.R. 1335: Strengthening Fishing Communities and Increasing Flexibility in Fisheries Management Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, May 19, 2015. Changes the rules for management of an overfished fishery so that there is no hard deadline (currently 10 years) to replenish the fishery and adds exceptions, including one that allows the overfishing to continue if replenishment can't be done "without significant economic harm to the fishery". Doubles the amount of time an emergency regulation can adjust a fishery management plan. Adds economic impact to "fishing communities" to the list of factors that need to be considered when creating catch limits and exempts for some fish with short life spans. Regional Fishery Management Council meetings will have to be posted online All requirements of the the National Environmental Policy Act and all related implementing regulations will be deemed approved if the Regional Fishery Management Council completes a fishery impact statement. Creates a pilot program for using electronic monitoring at fisheries. Repeals independent peer-reviewed analysis' of the quality of statistics collected on fishing populations and a requirement for catch limits for Gulf of Mexico red snapper for recreational and commercial fishermen Ensures that this law will trump the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Antiquities Act, and the Endangered Species Act Prohibits the government from factoring in red snapper killer during the removal of offshore oil rigs when determining catch limits. Prohibits the government from factoring fish caught by foreign vessels in the U.S. economic zone when determining catch limits. Requires new guidelines be issued that will use nongovernmental sources for fisheries management decisions. Passed the House of Representatives 225-152 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Don Young of Alaska His #4 contributing industry for the upcoming election is Fisheries and Wildlife; he has taken $9,000 from them for this election cycle as of 9/11/15. 57 pages H.R. 2042: Ratepayer Protection Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 23, 2015. Prohibits any final rule to address carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil-fuel powered electric utilities from being enforced until all lawsuits and appeals filed within 60 days of the final rule's publication are complete. Exempts states from complying with a final rule addressing carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel powered plants if the Governor informs the EPA that the rule would increase rates or have a significant adverse effect on the reliability of the State's electricity system. Hydropower will be counted as renewable energy Passed the House of Representatives 247-180 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Ed Whitfield of Kentucky's 1st district His #1 and #2 industries for the upcoming election are Oil and Gas and Electric Utilities; he's taken $46,100 from Oil and Gas and $38,500 from Electric Utilities as of 9/11/15. Over the course of his Congressional career, he has taken at least $771,315 from Electric Utilities and $562,097 from Oil and Gas. 6 pages H.R. 2289: Commodity End-User Relief Act Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 2, 2015. Extends operations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Limits the rules and regulations that can be enacted on futures commissions merchants Adds seven more considerations (including alternatives to regulation) to the requirements of cost-benefit analysis of regulations. Orders the CFTC cost benefit analysis to be reviewed by a judge. Allows the traders to be regulated to challenge new CFTC rules directly to the US Court of Appeals, the second most powerful court in the country. Limits the subpoena power of the CFTC Removes the requirement that the CFTC be immune from lawsuits that arise from sharing data about swaps with domestic and foreign authorities and backdates this change to July 21, 2010, the effective date of Dodd Frank Financial Reform. Adds "a utility operations-related swap" to the list of swaps that can be traded, which allows gambling on the future of natural gas or electric generation, purchases, sales, supplies or delivery. Exempts traders from being classified and regulated as a "swaps dealer" if they trade less than $8 billion (current CFTC rule exemption limit is $3 billion). Expands the number of financial models swaps dealers will be allowed to use to determine how much actual money they need to hold onto. Passed the House of Representatives 246-171 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His top contributor for the upcoming election is Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, which is a swaps clearing house; he received $15,000. His top 5 contributors over the course of his career are, in this order, the American Institute of CPA's an international association of accountants, KPMG LLP, a multinational corporation specializing in auditing and regulation compliance, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and even larger multinational corporation specializing in regulation compliance, Energy Future Holdings Corp, a portfolio of energy companies, and Deloitte LLP, the self-proclaimed "world's largest" multinational corporation that specializes in auditing and risk management. From these five companies, Conaway has taken at least $319,873. 80 pages H.R. 1190: Protecting Seniors' Access to Medicare Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which is designed to suggest solutions if Medicare costs get out of control. Drastically cuts funding for the Prevention and Public Health Fund, cutting it by a total of $8.8 billion by 2026, which is a 61% cut. Passed the House of Representatives 244-154 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Phil Roe of Tennessee's 1st district His #1 contributing industry over the course of his career is Health Professionals; he has taken $435,088 as of 9/11/15. 3 pages H.R. 160: Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2015 Hearing: House Rules Committee, June 16, 2015. Repeals the medical device excise tax The effects of this repeal on the budget will not be counted The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that this will increase the budget deficit by $24.4 billion Passed the House of Representatives 280-140 Received a veto threat from President Obama Sponsored by Rep. Erik Paulsen of Minnesota's 3rd district His #3 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Pharmaceuticals/Health Products; he has taken at least $654,929. His #4 contributing industry has been Health Professionals; from them, he has taken $622,645. 4 pages H.R. 2200: CBRN Intelligence and Information Sharing Act of 2015 Allows the Office of Intelligence an Analysis of the Department of Homeland Security to share information and work with the Intelligence community to analyze possible chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear attacks. Allows the Department of Homeland Security to share information related to terrorist attacks with the public. Passed the House of Representatives 420-2 Sponsored by Rep. Martha McSally of Arizona's 2nd district 6 pages H.R. 805: DOTCOM Act of 2015 Press Release: NTIA Announces Intent to Transition Key Internet Domain Name Functions, March 14, 2014. Prohibits the transition of NTIA's functions in Internet domain name registry until 30 days after a report is submitted. Passed the House of Representatives 378-25 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 4 pages H.R. 2576: TSCA Modernization Act Eliminates a requirement that EPA use the "least burdensome requirements" when regulating toxic chemicals Orders the EPA to do risk evaluations on chemicals used, stored, sold or disposed of by commercial companies. The risk evaluations will not consider cost If the risk evaluation is requested by a manufacturer, the manufacturer will pay for the risk assessment The EPA will be required to do at least 10 risk assessments per year "subject to the availability of appropriations". Adds an exemption for "replacement parts" from the EPA rules prohibiting chemicals unless the replacement parts "contribute significantly to the identified risk". Adds the requirement that any rules created "shall provide for a reasonable transition period." Eliminates the requirement for an informal hearing when making rules about toxic chemicals. Creates a "critical use exemption" option for the EPA if the requirement is not "cost-effective", if it would "significantly disrupt the national economy, national security, or critical infrastructure" The exemption would be valid for 5 years at a time The exemption will include conditions on the use of the toxic chemical Allows data to be shared with State, local, or tribal governments and with health care professionals to assist with diagnosis or treatment. Forces companies that want to keep information confidential to explain their reasons and automatically releases the information to the public in 10 years, unless the company justifies the confidentiality again in writing. Eliminates caps of fees that can be collected and creates a "TSCA Service Fee Fund" to collect, store, and disperse the funds to pay for the EPA's costs for regulating chemicals. Passed the House of Representatives 398-1 Sponsored by Rep. John Shimkus of Illinois's 15th district 48 pages H.R. 1615: DHS FOIA Efficiency Act of 2015 Orders the Chief Freedom of Information Act Officer of the Department of Homeland Security to update Freedom of Information Act regulations within 90 days of the bill's passage. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify the total annual cost of implementing the FOIA within 90 days. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to identify unnecessary actions taken in the course of processing requests and eliminate them within a year of identifying them. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to develop a plan to to process requests electronically. Orders the Chief FOIA Officer to issue guidance to the necessary people to reach the goal of reducing the FOIA request backlog by 50 percent by 2018. Passed the House of Representatives 423-0 Sponsored by Rep. Buddy Carter of Georgia's 1st district 7 pages S.611: Grassroots Rural and Small Community Water Systems Assistance Act Authorizes $15 million per year until 2020 to provide technical assistance to small public water systems. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi 5 pages S. 653: Water Resources Research Amendments Act Adds a requirement for additional research into new water treatments into the Water Resources Research Act Requires an evaluation of water resource research projects every three years and withdraws funds from projects that do not qualify based on the evaluation. Authorizes $13.5 million per year through 2020. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland 5 pages H.R. 2088: United States Grain Standards Act Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes the Department of Agriculture's process for grain inspections until September 30, 2020. Forces the Secretary of Agriculture to waive weighting and inspections of grain in an "emergency, a major disaster"; currently, the Secretary has the option to do so, but does not have to. A "major disaster" is defined to specifically include "a sever weather incident causing a region-wide interruption of government services". Changes the location of export inspections to specifically "export elevators" at export port locations. Widens the criteria for who is qualified to perform official inspections by deleting a list of requirements. Delegations of authority to conduct grain inspections to a State will expire every five years, and my be renewed. Adds a public comment period before the Secretary can delegate inspection responsibility to a State and requires a notice in the Federal Register announcing if the State was approved and the rational for the decision. The State would have to give at least 90 days notice advanced notice in writing to the Dept. of Agriculture if they want to stop performing grain inspections, unless there has been a major disaster. The public must be given online a list of the States delegated to perform official inspections, which needs to be updated at least twice a year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district His #2 contributing industry over the course of his career has been Crop Production and Basic Processing; he has taken at least $646,470. 18 pages H.R. 2051: Mandatory Price Reporting Act of 2015 Extends mandatory price reporting requirements for livestock until September 30, 2020. Clarifies that reports are expected on days the Dept. of Agriculture is open for business, including days when the government is "on shutdown or emergency furlough as a result of a lapse in appropriations". Allows transactions between pork packers and producers to take place using a new pricing formula. Changes the definition of an importer of lamb to include anyone who imports an average of 1,000 metric tons per year; currently importers have to comply with regulations if they import and average of 2,500 metric tons of lamb per year. Changes the definition of a lamb packer to someone who owns 50% or more of a facility and slaughters an average of 35,000 heads of lambs per year; currently if they slaughter 75,000 lambs per year. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Michael Conaway of Texas's 11th district 8 pages H.R. 2394: National Forest Foundation Reauthorization Act of 2015 Reauthorizes and appropriates $3 million per year until 2018 for the National Forest Foundation Act, which established a partnership with a non-profit to study and restore national forests. This is triple the previous funding. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Glenn Thompson of Pennsylvania's 5th district 3 pages H.R. 235: Permanent Internet Tax Freedom Act Article: Internet tax moratorium extended again by Grant Gross, IDG News Service, December 15, 2014. Makes the moratorium on Internet access taxes permanent. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bob Goodlatte of Virginia's 6th district 2 pages H.R. 889: Foreign Cultural Exchange Jurisdictional Immunity Clarification Act Prohibits art imported into the United States to be temporarily displayed from being seized by the United States, even if that art is discovered to have been stolen. This immunity does not apply to art stolen by the Nazis. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Steve Chabot of Ohio's 1st district 5 pages S. 184 and H.R. 1168: Native American Children’s Safety Act Requires criminal background checks of any person who lives in a house applying to provide foster care to an Indian child and prohibits placement if anyone in the home is found to have committed certain crimes. This will not apply to emergency foster care placement Both bills passed the Senate and the House of Representatives by voice votes S. 184 was sponsored by Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota and H.R. 1168 was sponsored by Kevin Cramer of North Dakota S. 184: 12 pages H.R. 1168: 10 pages S. 246: Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children Act Establishes the Alyce Spotted Bear and Walter Soboleff Commission on Native Children. All 11 members will be appointed by the President and Congressional leaders and their appointments will be for the entire duration of the commission. The Commission's job will be to complete a study on the effectiveness of programs aimed at the health and education of native children and to make recommendations for fixing the inadequacies. The Commission will terminate 90 days after they submit their report. Authorizes, but does not appropriate, $2 million. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota 27 pages H.R. 404: Authorizing early repayment of obligations to the Bureau of Reclamation within the Northport Irrigation District in the State of Nebraska Allows Nebraska landowners to repay construction debts at any time. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Adrian Smith of Nebraska's 3rd district 3 pages H.R. 1493: Protect and Preserve International Cultural Property Act Directs the State Department to designate an existing employee to coordinate efforts to protect art around the world from being stolen and/or destroyed. Establishes a committee, which will meet once a year and be made up of representatives from various Federal agencies, who will "coordinate and inform Federal efforts to protect international cultural property". Blocks importation of "archaeological or ethnological material of Syria" starting 120 days after the bills enactment. The import restrictions will expire in five years, but can be extended. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel of New York's 16th district 19 pages S. 253: Federal Communications Commission Consolidated Reporting Act Orders a public report every two years on competition, availability of services, and regulatory barriers to entry into the communications services business. Repeals an annual public report on privatization of the communications services industry, which includes public comments. Repeals an annual report on foreign and domestic competition in the communications satellite market. Eliminates an annual report on the "status of competition in the market for the delivery of video programming". Eliminates the requirement that a report on cable industry price be completed annually. Eliminates the requirement that a report on regulatory barriers be reviewed every three years. Eliminates an FCC analysis "of whether any of such competitors have a dominant share of the market" Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Dean Heller of Nevada 16 pages S. 565: Federal Vehicle Repair Cost Savings Act Encourages Federal agencies to use remanufactured vehicle parts to maintain Federal vehicles. Passed the Senate by a voice vote Sponsored by Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan 4 pages H.R. 2570: VBID for Better Care Act Establishes a three year demonstration project to test "value-based insurance" for Medicare patients at two Medicare Advantage sites. Value based insurance allows insurance companies flexibility with co-payments, allowing them to lower co-payments for services deemed to be "high value" preventative services and increasing rates for services with uncertain value. It's designed to "create financial disincentives for poor health choices". The demonstration projects would not allow increases in co-payments to discourage the use of services. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Diane Black of Tennessee's 6th district 17 pages H.R. 2507: Increasing Regulatory Fairness Act Extends the amount of time between proposed Medicare rate changes are announced and when they can go into effect from 60 days to 90 days. Requires more information about why the changes are being implemented. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas's 8th district 4 pages H.R. 2505: Medicare Advantage Coverage Transparency Act Requires an annual report to Congress detailing the location and number of people enrolled in Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and Medicare Part D. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania's 3rd district 4 pages H.R. 2582: Securing Seniors' Health Care Act Prohibits the government from terminating a contract for a Medicare Advantage organization because it fails to meet minimum quality standards until the end of 2018. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida's 16th district 10 pages H.R. 1633: DHS Paid Administrative Leave Accountability Act of 2015 Article: Administrative Leave Restrictions at DHS Backed, FedWeek, July 8, 2015. Orders a report to be completed by the Department of Homeland Security four times per year on the number of people on paid administrative leave for more than six months and the cost associated. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia's 11th district 7 pages H.R. 1646: Homeland Security Drone Assessment and Analysis Act Orders a report on how commercially available small and medium sized drones could be used to commit terrorist attacks and what the Department of Homeland Security could do to stop this type of attack. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman of New Jersey's 12th district 4 pages H.R. 1637: Federally Funded Research and Development Sunshine Act of 2015 Orders an annual report on the Federally funded research projects being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas's 4th district 3 pages H.R. 2390: Homeland Security University-based Centers Review Act Orders an annual report on the effectiveness of using universities to conduct Department of Homeland Security research. Passed the House of Representatives by a voice vote Sponsored by Rep. Bennie Thompson of Mississippi's 2nd district 5 pages June Hearings Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Security Assistance in Africa, June 4, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: Trade Promotion and Capacity Building in the Asia-Pacific Region, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: Western Hemisphere Drug Interdiction Efforts, June 16, 2015. House Committee on Financial Services: The Impact of the International Monetary Fund: Economic Stability or Moral Hazard?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform: Drones: The Next Generation of Commerce?, June 17, 2015. House Committee on Energy and Commerce: A National Framework for the Review and Labeling of Biotechnology in Food, June 18, 2015. House Committee on Foreign Affairs: The Future of Property Rights in Cuba, June 18, 2015. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations: American Energy Exports, June 23, 2015. Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control: Cannabidiol, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Homeland Security: DHS' Efforts to Secure .Gov, June 24, 2015. House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure: The State of Positive Train Control Implementation in the United States, June 24, 2015 House Committee on Ways and Means: Repatriation of Foreign Earnings as a Source of Funding for the Highway Trust Fund, June 24, 2015 Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry: Country of Origin Labeling, June 25, 2015 Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs: Global Impact of a Greek Default, June 25, 2015. Jen's Podcast Appearances September 9, 2015 episode of American Workers Radio Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio) Money, Money, Money by The Undercover Hippy (found on Music Alley by mevio)