This Week in Congress: June 23, 2014

This week, the House is expected to consider 17 bills, ranging from autism research and care to intelligence programs.  

Legislation under consideration this week includes:

Reliable Home Heating Act (S. 2086): This bill authorizes state governors to extend emergency declarations that suspend certain federal transportation rules when delivering home heating fuel during winter shortages.

Streamlining Energy Efficiency for Schools Act of 2014 (H.R. 4092): This bill establishes an office at the Energy Department as the lead federal agency for coordinating federal, state and local aid for the energy retrofitting of schools.

Collinsville Renewable Energy Production Act (Concur in the Senate Amendment to (H.R. 316): This measure authorizes the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to reinstate the hydropower development license for the Collinsville Dams and to transfer the licenses to the town of Canton, Conn.

H.R. 4801: This bill requires the Energy Department to report on the impact of thermal insulation on both energy and water use for potable hot water and chilled water in federal buildings within one year of enactment.

World War II Memorial Prayer Act (S. 1044): This bill requires the Interior Department to install a plaque or inscription at the World War II memorial in Washington with the words that President Franklin D. Roosevelt prayed with the United States on June 6, 1944, the morning of D-Day.

H.R. 4002: This bill revokes the charter of incorporation of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma at the request of that tribe.

Nashua River Wild and Scenic River Study Act (H.R. 412): This bill requires the National Park Service to study a segment of the Nashua River from Lancaster, Mass., to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire state line for potential addition to the Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

Customer Protection and End User Relief Act (H.R. 4413): This bill reauthorizes operations of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission through FY 2018 and amends the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act to modify and clarify how the CFTC is to regulate derivatives and swaps.

Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2014 (S. 1681):  This bill authorizes funding amounts in FY 2014 for 16 U.S. intelligence agencies and intelligence-related activities of the U.S. government — including the Office of the National Intelligence Director, the CIA and the National Security Agency (NSA), as well as foreign intelligence activities of the Defense Department, FBI, State Department, Homeland Security Department and other agencies. The measure covers general intelligence operations — including signals intelligence, clandestine human intelligence programs and analysis, and covert action programs, as well as research and development and projects to improve information dissemination.

Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1098): Authorizes several Health and Human Services Department (HHS) brain injury research, surveillance and service programs for five years, including brain injury prevention and surveillance activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).The bill also provides for state grants administered by HHS's Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to help families access needed services such as rehabilitation and long-term care; HRSA also provides grants to states for the protection and advocacy of TBI patients.

Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act (H.R. 1281): This bill reauthorizes federal activities that assist states in improving newborn screening and expands the responsibilities of a number of these programs. It authorizes a total of $19.9 million for these programs for each of fiscal years 2015 through 2019.

Improving Trauma Care Act of 2014 (H.R. 3548): This bill reauthorizes the Trauma Care Systems Planning Grants program administered by the Health and Human Services Department, which supports state development of trauma systems. It also reauthorizes pilot projects to implement and assess the regionalized emergency care model, including grants for improving trauma care and access to high-quality trauma care.

Trauma Systems and Regionalization of Emergency Care Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4080): This bill updates the definition of "trauma" under the Trauma Systems Grant Programs and under the Interagency Program for Trauma Research to include burn injuries. Specifically, the measure modifies the definition to include an injury resulting from exposure to "an extrinsic agent that is thermal, electrical, chemical, or radioactive." This updated definition would allow burn centers to compete for trauma care center grants under applicable federal programs.

The Autism CARES Act of 2014 (H.R. 4631):  The bill reauthorizes research, surveillance and education activities related to autism spectrum disorders (autism) conducted by various agencies within the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department — including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The bill authorizes $190 million for each fiscal year through 2019 for research grants at the NIH and the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). It also requires a report from the HHS secretary on best practices for transitioning adolescents from existing school-based services to those services focused on adulthood.

North American Energy Infrastructure Act (H.R. 3301): This bill establishes a new system for the approval and permitting of oil and gas pipelines and electrical transmission lines that cross the U.S. border into Canada and Mexico — eliminating the current system created by executive orders under which a presidential permit must be issued.

Domestic Prosperity and Global Freedom Act (H.R. 6): This bill requires the Energy Department to expedite decisions on applications to export natural gas, requiring the department to approve or deny an application within 90 days of the bill's enactment or the close of the application's public comment period, whichever is later. All applications must publicly disclose the specific nation or nations that would receive the proposed export of liquified natural gas.

Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act of 2014 (H.R. 4899): This bill includes provisions that seek to increase domestic oil and gas production on federal lands and offshore in order to boost economic growth and reduce U.S. dependence on energy imports.