The U.S. Department of State is seeking feedback on proposed regulatory changes in its Exchange Visitor Program, which effects foreign faculty, researchers, and students. The proposed rules, which are open to public comment through November 23, 2009, amend Subpart A, General Provisions, of the J exchange visitor regulations. The notice can be found at: http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-22822.htm.
Author: jnurse
This Week on Capitol Hill October 19-23
In the House
The House reconvenes on Tuesday at 2:00 pm for legislative business. On Wednesday, and the balance of the week, the House is expected to vote on a bill to authorize HIV/AIDS treatment programs, as well as a Coast Guard authorization and a bill to boost solar technology research.
House Committees
On Tuesday, the Committee on Financial Services marks up a bill to establish a consumer financial protection agency (HR 3126).
On Wednesday, Science and Technology will mark up a bill on fire grants (HR 3791) and on natural hazards reduction programs (HR 3820); Agriculture will mark up a bill to regulate over-the-counter derivatives (HR 3795); Armed Services will hold a hearing on US military redeployment from Iraq.
On Thursday, Veterans’ Affairs Health Subcommittee will mark up a bill addressing programs for homeless veterans (HR 2504, HR 2559, HR 2735, HR 3796, and HR 3073); and Financial Services will mark up a draft bill to overhaul the regulation of capital markets
In the Senate
The Senate convenes at 2:00 pm today to take a a bill affecting Medicare physician pay (S 1776). The tentative schedule for the remainder of the week includes a bill on Homeland Security spending (HR 2892); Defense authorization (HR 2647); and unemployment insurance (HR 3548).
Senate Committees
On Tuesday, Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs will hold a hearing on the housing market.
On Wednesday, Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs will hold a hearing on the H1N1 flu response; and Energy and Natural Resources will hold a hearing on greenhouse gas emissions allowances.
Climate Legislation Finds Bipartisan Support in Senate
**Update 10/19** Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) are offering an alternative to the cap and trade portion of the Boxer-Kerry climate bill (described below). The senators are opposed to allowing carbon permits to be traded as commodities. However, they do support proposed caps on carbon emissions.
On October 27th, the US Senate’s Environment and Pulbic Works (EPW) Committee will begin hearings on a companion bill to the American Clean Energy and Securirty (ACES) Act (H.R. 2454) that passed the House over the summer. The Senate legislation, introduced by EPW Chair Barbara Boxewr (D-CA) and John Kerry (D-MA) on September 30th, is currently being refined by committee staff and is undergoing an analysis by the EPA that should be completed in time for the hearings. Conventional wisdom held that the Senate’s version of a massive climate change mitigation plan would be pushed until next calendar year, due to the already partisan environment created by the current health reform debate. However, Senator Boxer’s team is moving ahead with the legislation now. Further, initial drafts of the Senate bill have drawn bipartisan support. Last weekend, Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) and John Kerry co-authored a piece in the New York Times entitled “Yes We Can (Pass Climate Change Legislation).” In the article, Senator Graham makes the case that a climate change bill that promotes nuclear energy, more offshore oil and natural gas development and carbon sequestration from coal power plants would draw the 60 votes necessary to assure passage. The duo also articulated that climate change legislation should also establish limits on prices for carbon allowances provided under a cap-and-trade system, and a tax on energy-intensive goods from countries with less stringent emissions requirements than the United States.
Research investments were mentioned only briefly in the op-ed. House and Sente bills seem to ignore President Obama’s call for a $15 billion investment in research and development as part of a comprehensive climate change mitigation bill; a point made to Senate Majority Leader Reid (D-NV) this week in a letter from the research community. Continue reading “Climate Legislation Finds Bipartisan Support in Senate”
FY10 Energy and Water Appropriations Approved
**10/15 Update: Today, the Senate passed the Energy & Water (E&W) Appropriations Conference Report, sending the legislation to the President’s desk for signature. The E&W Appropriations bill is the third of nine to make it all of the way through the appropriations process. UW projects in the legislation and accounts of interest are noted below**
House and Senate conferees on the fiscal year 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations have approved a conference agreement. The conference agreement reconciles differences in the bills produced by the individual chambers and now must go back for final approval, which is expected. Within the legislation is support for two important University of Washington projects: $880,000 for the Northwest National Marine Renewable Energy Center, and $1 million for the Washington Biofuels Industry Development project. Additional items of importance in the conference report include:
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy- $2.2 billion, $314 million above 2009, to increase investments in technologies that use energy more effectively and produce clean, inexpensive energy from domestic sources.
- Solar Energy: $225 million for research, development, and demonstration projects to make solar energy more affordable.
- Biofuels: $220 million for grants to improve production of alternative fuels such as cellulosic ethanol
and biodiesel.
Office of Science- $4.9 billion, $131 million above 2009, for scientific research critical to addressing long-term energy needs. This funding, in addition to the $4.8 billion appropriated in fiscal year 2009 and $1.6 billion in the Recovery Act, exceeds the goals in the America COMPETES Act.
- Basic Energy Sciences: $1.6 billion for basic research primarily on materials sciences and on chemical
sciences, energy biosciences and geosciences. This work places heavy emphasis on advancing the frontiers of using ever-faster tools, including $394 million in the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program, to better understand ever-smaller and more detailed phenomena. - Applied Research: $2.4 billion for Nuclear Physics, High Energy Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, and Fusion Energy Sciences.
- Energy Innovation Hubs: Funding for three of the proposed eight Energy Innovation Hubs (at $22 million each) in the following areas: Fuels from Sunlight; Energy Efficient Building Systems Design; and Modeling and Simulation.
- RE-ENERGYSE: Funding was not provided for the newly proposed RE-ENERGYSE education program.
Health Reform Legislation Passes Finance and Delays Student Aid Reform
Yesterday, 10/13/09, the Senate Finance Committee approved a health reform package on a largely party-line vote of 14-9, with only Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) crossing the partisan divide. The vote in Senate Finance was the last of the five House/Senate committee (3 House committees, 2 Senate Committees) votes before consideration by the chambers. Leadership and select members of the committees of jurisdiction will need to work together to merge bills that have been produced. In the Senate, the reform package will need to clear 60 votes to avoid a filibuster, while in the House only a simple majority is needed. At present, a public insurance option appears to be the major point of contention between the more conservative version of reform produced by the Senate Fiance Committee and legislation advanced by the Senate HELP Committee and the House. After bills pass the Senate and House, differences will again need to be worked out between the chambers so that a single bill can be sent to the President.
Passage of health care reform may be linked to the student aid overhaul that was approved in the House over the summer. If Senate Democrats are unable to pull together the 60 votes necessary to pass health care reform, they may tie the legislation to the student aid bill in the form of a budget reconciliation package that would only require a simple majority to pass. As a result, the Senate companion to the House (H.R. 3221) student aid bill is currently awaiting further developments on the health care reform front. The University of Washington, and much of the higher education advocacy community, is using the extra time allotted for the student aid bill to seek some improvements in the legislation.