Capitol Hill Update: June 22, 2020

Schedule: The House and Senate are in session this week.

A nominee to kick off the week in the Senate: The Senate returns today at 3:00 pm to resume consideration of the nomination of Cory T. Wilson to serve as a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) filed cloture on the Wilson nomination on Thursday. The Senate will vote on the cloture motion around 5:30 pm. We do expect that nominees will be limited because the Senate will consider legislation this week on the floor.

Policing legislation on the floor: The Senate will also consider the Just and Unifying Solutions To Invigorate Communities Everywhere (JUSTICE) Act, S. 3985. The JUSTICE Act is Senate Republicans’ policing reform bill, led by Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). The bill would create databases to track data and information on use of force and no-knock raids by law enforcement, incentivize the elimination of chokeholds by limiting access to federal grants, create a new grant program for body-worn cameras, require law enforcement to maintain disciplinary records, make lynching a federal crime, create a commission to review the social status of African-American men and boys, and create a national commission on criminal justice.

Senate committee schedule for the week: The full Senate committee schedule for the week is here.

COVID-19: Lessons Learned to Prepare for the Next Pandemic (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; Tuesday at 10:00 am)
The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Coronavirus, and Addressing China’s Culpability (Judiciary, Tuesday at 2:30 pm)
The Impact of COVID-19 on Mineral Supply Chains (Energy and Natural Resources, Wednesday at 9:30 am)
Business Meeting for the United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2020 (Agriculture, Wednesday at 10:00 am)
Legislative Hearing to Review S. 3894, the Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2020 (Agriculture, Wednesday at 10:00 am)
Oversight of the Federal Communications Commission, Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Wednesday at 10:00 am)
Oversight of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Tuesday at 2:30 pm)
Nominations (Judiciary, Wednesday at 10:00 am)
The Role of the Strategic National Stockpile in Pandemic Response (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Wednesday at 10:00 am)
Nomination Hearing: Derek Kan to be Deputy Director of White House Budget Office (Budget, Wednesday at 2:30 pm)
CBP Oversight: Examining the Evolving Challenges Facing the Agency (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, Thursday at 9:30 am)
Executive Business Meeting for the Inspector General Access Act, S. 685 (Judiciary, Thursday at 10:00 am)

The House returns for two days: The House will be in session on Thursday and Friday. The floor schedule hasn’t been announced yet. We do know that the Justice in Policing Act, H.R. 7120, will be on the floor. The House Rules Committee will post additional legislation that will be considered, although we wouldn’t be surprised if the Justice in Policing Act is the only bill on the floor.

House committee schedule: The full House committee schedule for the week can be found here. It’s possible that more committee hearings will be added.

Inequities Exposed: How COVID-19 Widened Racial Inequities in Education, Health, and the Workforce (Education and Labor, Monday at 12:00 pm)
Member Day Testimony for FY21 Appropriations (Appropriations, Tuesday at 11:00 am)
Oversight of the Trump Administration’s Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Energy and Commerce, Tuesday at 11:00 am)
R&D to Support Healthy Air Travel in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond (Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, Tuesday at 11:30 am)
Health and Wealth Inequality in America: How COVID-19 Makes Clear the Need for Change (Budget, Tuesday at 2:30 pm)
The Child Care Crisis and the Coronavirus Pandemic (Ways and Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support, Tuesday at 2:00 pm)
A Country in Crisis: How Disinformation Online Is Dividing the Nation (Energy and Commerce Subcommittees on Consumer Protection and Commerce and Communications and Technology)
An Overview of the Dynamic Between the Defense Production Act and Small Contractors (Small Business Subcommittee on Contracting and Infrastructure, Wednesday at 1:00 pm)
Federal Courts During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Best Practices, Opportunities for Innovation, and Lessons for the Future (Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet, Thursday at 9:00 am)
Frontline Feds: Serving the Public During a Pandemic (Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, Thursday at 12:00 pm)
Capital Markets and Emergency Lending in the COVID-19 Era (Financial Services Subcommittee on Investor Protection, Entrepreneurship, and Capital Markets, Thursday at 12:00 pm)
Hearing on Examining the COVID-19 Nursing Home Crisis (Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health, Thursday at 2:00 pm)
Accountability in Crisis: GAO’s Recommendations to Improve the Federal Coronavirus Response (Coronavirus Crisis, Friday at 9:00 am)