Capitol Hill Update: April 26, 2016

Schedule

The House and Senate are both in session this week.

House

House Republicans will be working on legislation related to email privacy and reversing a rule from President Obama’s Labor Department on financial advice:

  • H.R. 699, the Email Privacy Act, legislation supported by FreedomWorks, will be on the floor for a vote on Wednesday. The bill would protect the right to privacy of Americans by requiring a warrant before certain electronic communications can be accessed by law enforcement.
  • H.J. Res. 88, a resolution disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to the definition of the term “Fiduciary” is expected to be debated on Thursday with a vote possible that day or Friday. The Labor Department ruled that when giving retirement financial advice, investment brokers have to put the interests of their clients before their own. The legislation would reverse this requirement.
  • The House Natural Resources Committee remains stalled on working out legislation to deal with Puerto Rico’s financial crisis.

Senate

This week, the Senate will focus on the appropriations process:

  • Continue floor consideration of the Energy and Water appropriations bill and potentially vote on passage.
  • Debate may begin on the Commerce-Justice-Science (CJS) appropriations bill if action on Energy and Water can be concluded.
  • Additional funding for the Zika virus response may be included on the CJS spending bill.