The first full week of June should see House passage of a few major spending bills for fiscal year 2013, while the Senate is expected to consider farm legislation. Click on any link below to weigh in on that bill using PopVox.
In the House:
Energy and Water spending bill (HR 5325)
The House started work last week on HR 5325, which appropriates money for the Department of Energy, the Department of Interior, and other related agencies. It increases spending by nearly $90 million compared to the 2012 bill.
The Department of Homeland Security spending bill (HR 5855)
Work may commence on this bill, which cuts nearly $400 million from the current DHS spending levels.
The Legislative Branch spending bill (HR 5882)
The House might also start work on HR 5882, which spends $3.3 billion on the House and Capitol operations, $34 million less than current levels. This bill does not include spending for the Senate, which will propose its own spending.
The International Child Support Recovery Improvement Act (HR 4282)
Ensures that the United States can comply fully with the obligations of the Hague Convention of 23 November 2007 on the International Recovery of Child Support and Other Forms of Family Maintenance. (From Rep. Rick Berg [R, ND-0]).
Land Use Bills in the House:
The House also has plans to take up non-controversial bills dealing with land use across the country:
HR 241: Authorizes the conveyance of certain National Forest System lands in the Los Padres National Forest in California. (From Rep. Elton Gallegly [R, CA-24]).
HR 740: Amends the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act to designate a segment of Illabot Creek in Skagit County, Washington, as a component of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. (From Rep. Rick Larsen [D, WA-2]).
The Central Oregon Jobs and Water Security Act (HR 2060) adjusts the Crooked River boundary, provides water certainty for the City of Prineville, Oregon. (From Rep. Greg Walden [R, OR-2]).
The York River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (HR 2336) designates segments of the York River and associated tributaries for study for potential inclusion in the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. (From Rep. Chellie Pingree [D, ME-1]).
The Three Kids Mine Remediation and Reclamation Act (HR 2512) provides for the conveyance of certain Federal land in Clark County, Nevada, for the environmental remediation and reclamation of the Three Kids Mine Project Site. (From Rep. Joe Heck [R, NV-3]).
The Lake Thunderbird Efficient Use Act (HR 3263) authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to allow the storage and conveyance of nonproject water at the Norman project in Oklahoma. (From Rep. Tom Cole [R, OK-4]).
HR 4222: Provides for the conveyance of certain land inholdings owned by the United States to the Tucson Unified School District and to the Pascua Yaqui Tribe of Arizona. (From Rep. Raul Grijalva [D, AZ-7]).
S 363: authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to convey property of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the City of Pascagoula, Mississippi. (From Sen. Roger Wicker [R, MS]).
The Salmon Lake Land Selection Resolution Act (S 292) resolves the claims of the Bering Straits Native Corporation and Alaska to land adjacent to Salmon Lake in Alaska. (From Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R, AK]).
In The Senate:
The Paycheck Fairness Act (S 3220)
The Senate will hold a procedural vote on this bill, which Democrats say is needed to boost enforcement of federal fair-pay laws. (From Sen. Barbara Mikulski [D, MD]).
The Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act (S 3240)
This is a five year reauthorization of federal farm programs.
Other Bills of Interest:
The Second Amendment Sovereignty Act (HR 5846) (number one on POPVOX last week): This bill, from Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.), would ensure that a UN arms trade treaty does not infringe on the Second Amendment rights of U.S. citizens. It was introduced in May, and has not advanced in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
SRes 446: Expressing the Senate of the Senate that the UN should not be allowed to control the Internet (number three on POPVOX). This resolution from Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is a response to worries that an international consensus is growing to give the UN control over the Internet. The bill has not advanced in the Senate.
The Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act (HR 3541) (number four on POPVOX last week): Would impose penalties against doctors who perform abortions solely to select the sex of an unborn child. A majority of House members supported this bill last week, but it was brought up under a process that required a two-thirds vote in order to pass. House Republicans have given no indication that they would bring up the bill again under a regular process requiring a simple majority vote. (From Rep. Trent Franks [R, AZ-2]).