Last week the House and Senate were in recess, and this week they are back to work. The Senate will resume their consideration of the USA Freedom Act (H.R. 2048). The Senate discussed legislation that includes an overhaul of the National Security Agency’s bulk metadata collection program, but some provisions of the Patriot Act still expired. This week, the Senate Finance Committee is holding a hearing where IRS Commissioner John Koskinen will testify on the breaches that compromised private information of 100,000 taxpayers, and led to fake claims that yielded $50 million in refunds.
The House convened having eight bills scheduled for consideration under suspension of the rules, including H.R. 1168, which requires tribal social services agencies to conduct background checks before placing Native American children in foster homes, and H.R. 1335, which reauthorizes the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act through FY2019 and provides greater authority to regional fishery management councils and the fishing industry in setting conditions for restoration of over-fished or depleted fisheries. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee will hold an oversight hearing regarding the Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia.
