The Anti Police-Terror Project is a Black-led, multi-racial, intergenerational coalition that seeks to build a replicable and sustainable model to eradicate police terror in communities of color. We support families surviving police terror in their fight for justice, documenting police abuses and connecting impacted families and community members with resources, legal referrals, and opportunities for healing. APTP began as a project of the ONYX Organizing Committee.
The Black Lives Matter Global Network is a chapter-based, member-led organization whose mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes.
This is the OFFICIAL public Black Lives Matter Bay Area page, run by Black folk, for us and our allies committed to fighting like hell for Black lives.
We can live in a world where the police don’t kill people by limiting police interventions, improving community interactions, and ensuring accountability.
The Copwatch Database is a permanent, searchable repository of complaints filed against police officers. It was designed and intended both to promote public safety and to ensure that police officers remain accountable for their actions. The archives have not yet been ported to this program, and thus at the present time it is unlikely that you will find detailed information pertaining to any given individual for whom you may be searching. Importation of our existing files into this program will be completed in the near future. In the meantime, previously unfiled complaints are being accepted here.
LNBC guiding principle is simple: Those directly impacted should lead the movement for our right to live free from gun violence. We pursue this goal through healing circle, healing conferences, movement building, economic justice, and advocacy. Our commitment to addressing gun violence in all its forms – from community violence to police violence – sets us apart We invite you to explore our website, learn more about our campaigns, and help us fight for a safer America.
LNBC provided Holistice Care that encomasses physical, emotional, social, spiritual, and intellectual wellbeing.
Our Vision: The world where no one has the right to take the life of another and be protected/ insulated from the consequences of doing so by a system of structural racism, obfuscation, and propaganda. All of our work at Love Not Blood Campaign is guided by our vision for a racially just society. We dream of a day when families will not have to be traumatically impacted by police violence, community violence, and institutional racism. When all Americans have a right to live in communities free from gun violence. In service of this vision, Love Not Blood Campaign adopted an ambitious purpose: to support and embrace every family impacted by violence and building a political movement to eliminate police violence, community violence, and institutional racism.
We have found that real healing starts when it is those families directly impacted that leads the movement. These families recognize that support to other families is key to their healing process.
Oscar Grant Committee – Against Police Brutality and State Repression, is a local East Bay organization which acts to support and defend families of individally brutalized by the police.
Attorneys from People’s Law Office in Chicago have been successfully fighting for the civil rights of victims of police brutality, wrongful convictions, false arrest and other government abuses for over 40 years. We believe that the law is an essential tool in fighting for and protecting your civil rights. Our attorneys are among the nation’s top civil rights lawyers, – passionate, skilled, knowledgeable, and experienced. Most importantly, we are unafraid of confronting and exposing injustice and corruption and will relentlessly fight for justice for our clients.
THE VISION — We envision a society where we struggle together with love, for justice, human dignity, and a sustainable world. THE MISSION — Through community organizing, mobilizing, and education, SURJ moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for justice with passion and accountability. THE WORK — The Bay Area chapter of SURJ meets in Oakland once a month for general meetings.
The House and Senate are back in session this week. Congressional appropriators are knee-deep in the appropriations process as committees continue to consider President Biden’s proposed budget. House lawmakers are readying a historic resolution to allow staff to unionize. Meanwhile, the Senate is teeing up a bill to protect reproductive freedom in response to a leaked SCOTUS decision that would overturn Roe v. Wade.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
All people deserve to pursue their dreams and get a high-quality higher education. But while certain politicians continue to slash funding for public education, universities are exploding tuition and big banks are profiting off of our pain. Today, far too many people are priced out of college or burdened with a lifetime of debt, preventing them from even getting by, much less getting ahead or saving for their future. We must come together, as we have in the past, to ensure that everyone can go to college and start a business, start a family, buy a home, or simply pay their bills. We need to cancel student debt and make sure everyone can get a good education and live a full life.
WORDS THAT WORK
We all benefit when students can pursue their dreams to start new businesses, buy homes, or start families without a lifetime of debt holding them back.
The student debt trap hurts everyone–students, families, and all of our communities.
Debt keeps education out of reach for too many.
Decades ago, we decided that K-12 education was a commonsense right that belongs to every American. In the 21st century, it’s time to extend that right to higher education too.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 28 suspension bills from the Committees on Financial Services, Oversight & Reform, Science, Space, & Technology, and Judiciary. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 2499 – Federal Firefighters Fairness Act of 2022 (Rep. Carbajal): The bill would expand federal workers’ compensation to firefighters who contract certain illnesses as a result of their service. The benefits include medical expenses, disability payments, and survivors benefits if there’s a demonstrable link between their federal employment and their injury or illness.
H.R. 903 – Rights for the TSA Workforce Act of 2022 (Rep. Thompson (MS)): The bill would modify the workplace rights, protections, and benefits applicable to Transportation Security Administration personnel. Specifically, the bill makes employees subject to the personnel management system applicable to other federal employees, sets rules that protect the pay rates and leave rights of employees, and provides the same collective bargaining rights as other federal employees.
H.R. 5129 – Community Services Block Grant Modernization Act of 2022 (Rep. Bonamici): The bill would reauthorize the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program for 10 years at $1 billion annually for the grants from fiscal 2023 through 2027 and such sums as necessary each year from fiscal 2028 through 2032. The bill would also permanently raise income eligibility to 200 percent of the poverty line, as temporarily provided in the CARES Act.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)/Chief Financial Officer Michael J. McCord, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark A. Milley are testifying
S.4132 – Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 (Sen. Blumenthal): The bill would guarantee a pregnant person’s right to access an abortion—and the right of an abortion provider to deliver these abortion services—free from medically unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a patient’s individual choice or the provider-patient relationship.A similar bill passed the House of Representatives last September by a 218-211 vote.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia Fudge is testifying
Issues to Watch
Roe v. Wade
Last week, a leaked draft opinion authored by Justice Samuel Alito suggested that the Supreme Court was preparing to overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that ruled that the U.S. Constitution protects a pregnant person’s right to choose to have an abortion. If Roe is overturned, nearly 33.6 million individuals of reproductive age could lose access to abortion as states move to restrict or ban abortion entirely. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer quickly announced plans to hold a vote to codify abortion rights into federal law this week. The measure, the Women’s Health Protection Act (S.4132), would prohibit medically unnecessary government restrictions on abortion access prior to fetal viability. The bill would require 60 votes in the evenly divided Senate to avoid a filibuster. The Supreme Court’s final opinion is expected to be published before the end of the Court’s term in June.
Last week, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House of Representatives will vote on a resolution that would recognize congressional workers’ right to unionize. Rep. Andy Levin’s H.Res. 915, Recognizing Congressional Workers’ Right to Organize, has 165 cosponsors and would be the final step under the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 to provide House congressional workers legal protection to organize and bargain collectively. Speaker Pelosi also announced that starting on September 1, the minimum annual pay for staffers in the House would be set at $45,000.
Over the weekend, First Lady Jill Biden met with Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, in an unannounced visit to Western Ukraine. The pair met at a school that now serves as temporary housing for internally displaced Ukrainians, of which there are now more than 7 million. An estimated 5.5 million people have fled to neighboring countries since the invasion began. First Lady Jill Biden also traveled to Romania and Slovakia and met with humanitarian aid organizations, government officials, and refugee families. The First Lady’s trip makes her the latest high-profile American to visit the region after trips from Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Congressional lawmakers are currently negotiating a supplemental appropriations package that would provide Ukraine with billions more in military, humanitarian, and direct economic assistance. While the timeline for the package is unclear, Speaker Pelosi in an interview over the weekend said she would like to pass a bill before June.
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It’s a busy week on the Hill as lawmakers in the House advance bills to strengthen the workforce, tackle high gas prices, and address the baby formula shortage during their last week in session before Memorial Day. Meanwhile, Senators are finalizing a supplemental appropriations package to aid Ukraine.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
We all want our families and communities to be safe. Yet still, certain politicians, gun corporations and the NRA have spent millions trying to pit us against each other based on our race or origin, but we must refuse to fall to their fear-mongering. The number of far-right, white-supremacist violent attacks has surged in recent years, and it’s time to directly confront this crisis. We must stand up for each other and work together to invest in community programs that prevent gun violence, dismantle laws like Stand Your Ground that encourage racist gun violence, and pass common sense reforms like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. Together, we can make this a place where we know that we are all safe.
WORDS THAT WORK
Everyday, gun violence is hurting our families and communities. From the mass shootings in shopping malls, schools, and places of worship, to the retaliatory gun violence in neighborhoods haunted by the legacy of economic disinvestment caused by racism and poverty, to the suicides committed nationwide with increasing frequency.
For decades, the NRA and gun lobby have used fear and racist rhetoric to keep us divided and allow people to get ever more deadly weapons without any common sense checks. Today, loopholes in our laws allow up to 40% of gun sales to go unchecked.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 28 suspension bills from the Committees on Homeland Security, Judiciary, and Veterans’ Affairs. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 7309 – Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2022 (Rep. Scott (VA)): The bill would fully fund WIOA programs by authorizing $78 billion over six years and expand the workforce development system to train one million workers per year by 2028. The bill would also create a permanent Department of Labor program to help returning citizens transition back to employment, expand summer and year-round jobs programs for youth, codify partnerships between employers and community colleges, and provide funding for innovative approaches to workforce development.
H.R. 6531 – Targeting Resources to Communities in Need Act of 2022 (Rep. Clyburn): The bill would require the Bureau of the Census to publish a list of all areas of persistent poverty and annually update the list;
the Office of Management and Budget to develop and implement guidance and measures to increase the share of federal investments targeted to areas of persistent poverty; and the Government Accountability Office to report on the measures implemented by the OMB under this bill.
H.R. 2938 – To designate the United States Courthouse and Federal Building located at 111 North Adams Street in Tallahassee, Florida, as the “Joseph Woodrow Hatchett United States Courthouse and Federal Building” (Sen. Rubio): The bill would rename a United States Courthouse and Federal Building located in Tallahassee, Florida, after Joseph Woodrow Hatchett, who served as a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and Eleventh Circuit, and served on the Florida Supreme Court.
H.R. 7688 – Consumer Fuel Price Gouging Prevention Act (Rep. Schrier): The bill would give the President the power to issue an Energy Emergency Declaration that would make it unlawful to increase gasoline and home energy fuel prices in an excessive or exploitative manner.
Additional legislative items are possible including legislation to Grant Emergency Authority to the WIC Program to Address Supply Chain Disruptions and Recalls Related to Baby Formula.
House Committee Highlights
A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:
H.R. 7691 – Additional Ukraine Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2022 (Rep. Rosa DeLauro): The bill would provide more than $40 billion in emergency funding for additional military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine – $7 billion over President Biden’s original request. If passed, the bill would bring U.S. spending on Ukraine to almost $54 billion following the $13.6 billion Congress approved in March. The House passed the bill last week by a 368-57 vote.
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After a two-week break, lawmakers return to Washington this week with a hefty to-do list before the month-long August recess. House lawmakers are advancing legislation to protect people’s access to abortion, respond to active shooters, and authorize Defense spending. At the same time, the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol is continuing its public hearing series. Meanwhile, Senators are busy advancing nominations.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
No matter what we look like, where we come from, or what’s in our wallets, we all want our families and communities to be safe. Yet, each day, certain politicians stand by as hundreds of Americans – Black and White, young and old, rural and urban – are hurt or killed by guns. Gun corporations and the NRA have spent millions trying to pit us against each other based on our race or origin, but we refuse to fall for their fear-mongering. We must stand up for each other and work together to invest in community programs that prevent violence, dismantle laws like Stand Your Ground that encourage bias-motivated gun violence, and pass common sense reforms like universal background checks and a ban on assault weapons. Together, we can make this a place where we know that we are all safe.
WORDS THAT WORK
For decades, the NRA and gun lobby have used fear and racist rhetoric to keep us divided and allow people to get ever more deadly weapons without any common sense checks.
We need our leaders to stop the reckless and irresponsible gun lobby and industry who want to keep their profits high, no matter the cost.
Allowing certain politicians and the NRA to spread gun violence in our communities is a choice we don’t have to keep making.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 22 suspension bills from the Committees on Ways & Means, Oversight & Reform, Homeland Security, and Foreign Affairs. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 6538 – Active Shooter Alert Act of 2022 (Rep. Cicilline – Judiciary): The bill would create a program similar to the AMBER Alert system for law enforcement to alert the public to active shooters in their community. Specifically, the bill would direct the Department of Justice to create an Active Shooter Alert Coordinator who would offer federal training, technical support, and best practices to local and state law enforcement to effectively improve or implement active shooter alert systems.
H.R. 7900 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (Rep. Smith (WA) – Armed Services): The bill would authorize nearly $850 billion for defense related programs, which is $37 billion more than President Biden’s FY2023 budget proposal. In addition to defense spending, the bill would authorize $45 million for the Nuclear-Armed Sea-Launched Cruise Missile. It also sets policy related to sexual harassment in the ranks as well as reproductive rights for service people.
H.R. 8296 – Women’s Health Protection Act of 2022 (Rep. Chu – Energy and Commerce): The bill would guarantee a pregnant person’s right to access an abortion—and the right of an abortion provider to deliver these abortion services—free from medically unnecessary restrictions that interfere with a patient’s individual choice or the provider-patient relationship. The House passed a similar bill in September 2021.
H.R. 8297 – Ensuring Access to Abortion Act of 2022 (Rep. Fletcher – Energy and Commerce): The bill would ensure that people can cross state lines in order to obtain abortions and prohibit states from passing laws that prevent anyone from obtaining, providing, or facilitating abortion access across state lines, including physicians, nurse-midwifes, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. The bill also protects the interstate commerce of FDA-approved drugs.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision last month to overturn Roe v. Wade and, with it, the nearly 50-year precedent that guaranteed the right to abortion care, President Joe Biden on Friday signed an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care. Specifically, the order directs the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to expand and protect access to emergency contraception, reversible contraception like intrauterine devices, and medication abortion such as through the use of mifepristone. The order also directs HHS to improve outreach and public education efforts on abortion, establishes an interagency task force on reproductive health care access, and takes steps to protect consumer privacy when seeking information about reproductive health care services. Both the House and Senate Committees on the Judiciary are also examining the impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on abortion rights this week. Ten states have already banned abortions and as many as 26 states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion.
The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol is continuing their public hearings this week. On Tuesday, the Committee is expected to focus on the connections between the Trump Administration and militia groups that participated in and helped organize the attack on the Capitol, such as the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys. A former spokesperson for the Oath Keepers is expected to testify. This public hearing will be the seventh so far this year, but more could follow. Recently, Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL-05) and former Trump advisor Steve Bannon, who have been subpoenaed by the Committee, have stated that they are willing to testify.
With budget reconciliation instructions set to expire at the end of this fiscal year on September 30, Senators are making an effort to advance a reconciliation bill—potentially before the end of the summer. Current reporting suggests the nascent proposal would seek to address high prescription drug prices, climate change, and energy production. However, additional policies, like tax changes and an extension of expiring ACA subsidies, could still be added to the package. Last week, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer submitted text to the Senate parliamentarian that would allow the federal government to negotiate prescription drug prices for Medicare. The parliamentarian will subject the text to a Byrd Bath, a process that examines proposals and ensures that policies passed through reconciliation directly impact the federal budget. While the proposal to address high drug prices has the support of all 50 Democratic Senators, there is not yet a deal on other issues. Any reconciliation bill that passes the Senate would also require House approval to be signed into law.
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Following the quick passage of a gun violence prevention bill last week, Senators are home for the July 4th recess. House lawmakers are finishing up committee work before they also break for the holiday next week, with appropriators marking up the last of the twelve government funding bills. While back in their districts, lawmakers in both chambers are likely to focus heavily on the Supreme Court’s Friday decision to strike down Roe v. Wade.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
All people, whoever we are or wherever we live, deserve to be able to make the best personal healthcare decisions for ourselves and our families. The decision of when and if to become a parent is one of the most important any of us will make in life. For decades, far-right groups and politicians have tried to demonize people who seek abortion care, eliminate access to healthcare providers, and restrict and outright ban abortion, even as they attack access to contraception, sex education, and policies that help parents and children. We must come together to ensure that everyone, whoever we are or wherever we live, has the freedom to decide if, when, and how to become a parent or grow our families.
FAST FACTS
The powerful few create roadblocks to prevent people, especially people of color, fromgetting the care they need, including access to abortion care.
Reproductive healthcare must be made accessible to everyone, no matter where we live, who we work for or how much money we earn. We must ensure that everyone – including people with low incomes, trans people, LGBTQ+ people, and Black, Indigenous and other people of color – have control over decisions about their reproductive health.
Reproductive healthcare – including abortion care – is an essential service, now and always.
House
House Floor
The House is focusing on committee work this week and will return to Washington on Tuesday, July 12 for votes.
House Committee Highlights
A full list of this week’s hearings and markups can be found here. Notable hearings and markups include:
The Senate is out of session and will return to Washington on Monday, July 11 for votes.
Issues to Watch
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization
On Friday, the Supreme Court voted to uphold a 15-week Mississippi abortion ban and overturn Roe v. Wade, eliminating nearly 50 years of constitutional protection for the right to abortion care. At the time of this publication, nine states have abortion bans in effect. Twenty-six states are expected to outlaw or severely restrict abortion, a decision that may affect as many as 36 million individuals of reproductive age. While the House passed the Women’s Health Protection Act to safeguard abortion access last September by a 218-211 vote, an effort to advance the bill in the Senate failed last month. In a concurring opinion to the Dobbs decision, Justice Clarence Thomas called on the Court to revisit additional landmark cases that protect the right to obtain contraception, the right to same-sex intimacy, and the right to same-sex marriage, signaling that the Court could act to strike down additional constitutional rights.
Last week, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol held two public hearings focused on former President Trump’s campaign to pressure Justice Department officials and state-level officials to overturn the 2020 election results. While the hearings were expected to conclude last week, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS-02), Chair of the Select Committee, announced an additional hearing scheduled for tomorrow at 1PM ET, and the possibility of additional hearings following significant new evidence, including footage from a documentarian who had access to the former president and his family before and after Jan. 6. Additionally, Representative Mo Brooks (R-AL-05), who was subpoenaed by the Committee in May, has stated that he is willing to testify. The Select Committee is expected to release an extensive report on its findings later this year.
House Appropriators this week are wrapping up markups for the twelve government funding bills before heading out for recess. The Appropriations Committee approved a $761 billion defense bill, which is $32.2 billion more than the FY2022 enacted amount. Notably, at the same time, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) approved a defense authorization package of nearly $840 billion for fiscal year 2023. This doesn’t include nearly $11 billion in defense authorizations outside HASC jurisdiction. The HASC amount increased the defense topline by $37 billion. Additionally, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) added $45 billion to President Biden’s FY2023 budget request, which brought the SASC topline to $847 billion. While there is no concrete timetable to pass all appropriations bills through both chambers and send them to the president’s desk, the House aims to pass their versions sometime in July. Fiscal year 2023 starts on October 1, 2022.
This morning, the Supreme Court announced decisions in three cases, including in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District, in which the Court decided that the public school district violated free speech and free exercise rights when it barred a coach from praying on the field after football games. This follows decisions from the Court last week in a number of major cases. In New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, for example, the Court struck down a New York gun law that requires gun owners to show “proper cause” in order to receive concealed-carry licenses.. There are still four cases pending before the Supreme Court ends its term. Other notable cases on which there may soon be decisions include:
Biden v. Texas: The Court will decide whether the Biden administration must continue to enforce Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they await a hearing in U.S. immigration court.
West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency: The Court will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in virtually any industry, so long as it considers cost, non-air impacts, and energy requirements.
The Supreme Court typically releases opinions on Monday and some Wednesday mornings. You can find them here.
Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe to the DC Download to get weekly updates on what’s happening on the Hill, including progressive analysis and tools. If you have any comments or suggestions for future DC Downloads, please email ricardo@progressivecaucuscenter.org.
Lawmakers are a few days away from leaving Washington for the July 4th recess, but they still have a lengthy to-do list. The House is set to hold two public hearings this week on the Jan. 6th attack on the country and will be finalizing a veterans’ healthcare bill. At the same time, a group of bipartisan Senators are closing in on a deal on a possible bill to tackle gun violence.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
All people, whoever we are or wherever we live, deserve to be able to make the best personal healthcare decisions for ourselves and our families. The decision of when and if to become a parent is one of the most important any of us will make in life. For decades, far-right groups and politicians have tried to demonize people who seek abortion care, eliminate access to healthcare providers, and restrict and outright ban abortion, even as they attack access to contraception, sex education, and policies that help parents and children. We must come together to ensure that everyone, whoever we are or wherever we live, has the freedom to decide if, when, and how to become a parent or grow our families.
FAST FACTS
The powerful few create roadblocks to prevent people, especially people of color, fromgetting the care they need, including access to abortion care.
Reproductive healthcare must be made accessible to everyone, no matter where we live, who we work for or how much money we earn. We must ensure that everyone – including people with low incomes, trans people, LGBTQ+ people, and Black, Indigenous and other people of color – have control over decisions about their reproductive health.
Reproductive healthcare – including abortion care – is an essential service, now and always.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on five suspension bills from the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 7666 – Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2022 (Rep. Pallone – Energy and Commerce): The bill would establish a Behavioral Health Crisis Coordinating Office within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and would reauthorize key programs within SAMHSA and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
H.R. 5585 – Advanced Research Projects Agency–Health Act (Rep. Eshoo – Energy and Commerce): The bill would create an independent Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), a health agency focused on accelerating biomedical innovation to develop transformative breakthroughs to detect and treat the deadliest diseases.
Senate Amendment to H.R. 3967 – Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 (Rep. Takano – Veterans’ Affairs): The bill would expand access to Veterans’ Affairs Department healthcare and expedite disability compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances in the line of duty, including those exposed to burn pits, which the military has long used to dispose of jet fuel, medical waste, and garbage.
H.R. 4176 – LGBTQI+ Data Inclusion Act (Rep. Grijalva – Oversight and Reform): The bill would require federal surveys to include data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity on a voluntary basis and ensure that lawmakers and federal agencies have the comprehensive data they need to address LGBTQ+ issues.
Last week, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol held two public hearings focused on former President Trump’s decision to spread the false claim that he won the 2020 election and his campaign to pressure former Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the election. The Committee will continue their series of public hearings with two scheduled for this week – today at 1pm ET and Thursday, June 23 at 3PM ET. The hearings are expected to focus on the campaign to pressure Justice Department officials and state-level officials to overturn the 2020 election results. The Select Committee is expected to release an extensive report on its findings later this year.
After agreeing to a legislative framework to address gun violence in the U.S., Senate negotiators are trying to iron out their differences on some key areas including red flag laws, closing the boyfriend loophole, and Hyde Amendment language, which blocks certain health insurance programs from covering abortion. The Senate is expected to release details and legislative text as early as today, with a floor vote possibly later this week before they break for a recess.
The Supreme Court this morning announced decisions in five cases, including in Carson v. Makin, in which the court struck down a law in Maine that provides funds for students to attend some private schools but excludes schools that provide religious instruction, calling the exclusion unconstitutional. There are still 13 cases pending before the Supreme Court ends its term. Other notable cases on which there may soon be decisions include:
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: The Court will decide whether pre-viability bans on elective abortion are constitutional.
Biden v. Texas: The Court will decide whether the Biden administration must continue to enforce Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they await a hearing in U.S. immigration court.
West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency: The Court will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in virtually any industry, so long as it considers cost, non-air impacts, and energy requirements.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen: The Court will decide whether New York’s denial of petitioners’ applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense violated the Second Amendment.
The Supreme Court typically releases opinions on Monday and some Wednesday mornings, but will also release opinions this Thursday. You can find them here.
Were you forwarded this email? Subscribe to the DC Download to get weekly updates on what’s happening on the Hill, including progressive analysis and tools. If you have any comments or suggestions for future DC Downloads, please email ricardo@progressivecaucuscenter.org.
It’s another busy week on Capitol Hill as the House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the Capitol holds three public hearings. Meanwhile, Senators are ironing out the details of a possible bipartisan deal to tackle gun violence.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
JUSTICE REFORM
Whatever we look like or wherever we live, we all want to move through our communities without fearing for our lives or our loved ones. But today, our criminal justice system isn’t building justice or keeping our communities safe. Together, we must imagine a new world for public safety that upholds dignity, safety, and opportunity for all of us, Black, White, or Brown. We must invest in the communities harmed by racist policies like redlining, school segregation and police brutality.
FAST FACTS
74% of voters agree that poor people shouldn’t be locked up just because they can’t pay fines and fees. 64% agree that the war on drugs has failed and too many people have been locked up in prison and jail for long sentences.
The U.S. has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world. Every year, over 600,000 people enter prison and people go to jail 10.6 million times each year. 60,000 children are incarcerated in juvenile facilities on any given day. The federal prison population has increased by almost 790% since 1980.
People of color, especially Black people and Indigenous people, are more policed, more likely to be arrested and more likely to be given long sentences. Black people are 13% of the U.S. population but 40% of people in prison are Black. Black and Latino people are arrested at nearly 6 times the rate of White people
House
House Floor
The House will vote on five suspension bills from the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 2773 – Recovering America’s Wildlife Act of 2022 (Rep. Dingell – Natural Resources): The bill would provide funding for the conservation and restoration of wildlife and plant species; the wildlife conservation strategies of states, territories, tribal governments, and the District of Columbia; and wildlife conservation education and recreation projects.
H.R. 2543 – Financial Services Racial Equity, Inclusion, and Economic Justice Act (Rep. Waters – Financial Services): The bill would require the Federal Reserve Board to carry out its duties in a manner that supports the elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in employment, income, wealth, and access to affordable credit. The board must report on disparities in labor force trends as well as on the board’s plans and activities to minimize and eliminate these disparities.
H.R. 7606 – Lower Food and Fuel Costs Act (Rep. Spanberger – Agriculture): The bill would allow summertime sale of E15 gasoline, create a Meat and Poultry Special Investigator at the USDA to enforce fair-play laws in meatpacking, and help farmers adopt precision agriculture technology.
H.R. 3967 – Honoring our PACT Act (Rep. Takano – Veterans’ Affairs): The bill would expand access to Veterans Affairs Department health care and expedite disability compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances in the line of duty, including those exposed to burn pits, which the military has long used to dispose of jet fuel, medical waste, and garbage.
Following their first prime time hearing last Thursday, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the Capitol is continuing their series of public hearings this week. The second hearing began this morning and focused on former President Trump’s false claim that he won the 2020 election and the decision to push that lie to millions of supporters. The next public hearings are scheduled for Wednesday, June 15; Thursday, June 16; Tuesday, June 21; and Thursday, June 23. The Select Committee is then expected to release an extensive report on its findings later this year.
Over the weekend, a group of 20 bipartisan senators, led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX), announced that they reached an agreement on an outline of possible reforms to address gun violence in the U.S. The proposals include providing resources for state crisis intervention orders (red flag laws), expanding and increasing access to mental health programs, preventing gun sales to domestic violence offenders (closing the boyfriend loophole), cracking down on illegal straw purchases and gun trafficking, funding for school safety resources, and requiring that juvenile justice and mental health records be included in federal criminal background checks for gun buyers under 21. Shortly after reaching the deal, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said he planned to put the bill on the floor as soon as possible. Formal legislative text for the agreement has not yet been released.
This morning, the Supreme Court announced decisions in five cases, including in Johnson v. Arteaga-Martinez, in which the court decided that noncitizens who have spent more than six months in immigration detention awaiting resolution of their deportation withholding claim are not entitled to a hearing before an immigration judge to determine whether they can be released on bond. Other notable cases on which there may soon be decisions include:
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization: The Court will decide whether pre-viability bans on elective abortion are constitutional.
Biden v. Texas: The Court will decide whether the Biden administration must continue to enforce Trump’s “remain in Mexico” policy, which requires asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while they await a hearing in U.S. immigration court.
West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency: The Court will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency has the authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions in virtually any industry, so long as it considers cost, non-air impacts, and energy requirements.
New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen: The Court will decide whether New York’s denial of petitioners’ applications for concealed-carry licenses for self-defense violated the Second Amendment.
The Supreme Court releases opinions on Monday and some Wednesday mornings. You can find them here.
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Lawmakers in D.C. are in for a busy week. Following tragic mass shootings across the country, House lawmakers are readying a package of gun control measures. Senators, meanwhile, are negotiating their own plan to reduce gun violence. At the same time, Members of the Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol are preparing for their first public hearing this year to share their investigation’s findings.
Table of Contents:
Progressive Playbook
House
Senate
Issues to Watch
Key Dates
What We’re Reading
Progressive Playbook
Whether we are Black or White, Latino or Asian, newcomer or Indigenous, we all want our families to grow up healthy, happy and safe for generations to come. But for too long, fossil fuel CEOs and corrupt politicians have divided and distracted us with lies while they pollute our air and poison our water. They exploit their workers, while dumping toxins into Black, brown and low-income neighborhoods. By coming together, we can heal the damage done to all of our communities, and power our future with locally produced renewable energy that creates millions of good union jobs in the process.
WORDS THAT WORK
Communities of color and low-income communities have paid the highest price for pollution and climate change for too long. Lead in the water. Pesticides and toxic air. Unaffordable and dangerous extractive energy. We must invest in the communities who are on the frontlines and ensure that polluters pay to clean up their messes.
We must set our country on a sustainable path that will rebuild our economy for the future. We need a plan that creates high-quality, good-paying union jobs that can support our families and protect the health of our communities and planet.
We can have locally-made, sustainable energy from the wind and sun that ensures our air is clean and our water is healthy. We can have locally grown, tastier food, a traffic-free commute, and a happy surprise when we open our energy bills. The choice is ours to make for a clean energy future.
Wealthy corporations and oil companies are spending billions to hide the damage they’ve done to our climate so they can keep lining their pockets while setting our forests on fire, flooding our communities, and poisoning our children with toxic air and water.
House
House Floor
The House will vote on 12 suspension bills from the Committees on Education & Labor, Small Business, Judiciary, Transportation & Infrastructure, and Energy & Commerce. Suspension bills require a ⅔ majority to pass. For a list of all suspension bills being considered, click here.
The House will also consider the following bills, subject to rules:
H.R. 7910 – Protecting Our Kids Act (Rep. Nadler – Judiciary): The bill would raise the lawful age to purchase a semiautomatic centerfire rifle from 18 to 21 years old, establish a new federal offense for the import, sale, manufacture, transfer, or possession of large capacity magazines, establish new federal offenses for gun trafficking and straw purchases, establish requirements to regulate the storage of firearms on residential premises, ban the manufacture, sale, or possession of bump stocks for civilian use, and limit the sale of ghost gun kits.
H.R. 2377 – Federal Extreme Risk Protection Order Act of 2022 (Rep. McBath – Judiciary): The bill would allow family members and law enforcement to obtain an extreme risk protection order to temporarily remove access to firearms for those who are deemed a danger to themselves or to others by a federal court.
H.R. 3967 – Honoring our PACT Act (Rep. Takano – Veterans’ Affairs): The bill would expand access to Veterans Affairs Department health care and expedite disability compensation for veterans exposed to toxic substances in the line of duty, including those exposed to burn pits, which the military has long used to dispose of jet fuel, medical waste, and garbage.
The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol is set to hold their first of a series of public hearings this Thursday evening. The hearings come after almost a year of investigatory work in which the Committee conducted thousands of interviews and reviewed hundreds of thousands of records as they work to create a clear understanding of the events that led up to and took place on January 6, 2021. The Committee has already subpoenaed and interviewed former members of the Trump Administration, former White House officials, and rally planners – and some might be called as public witnesses. While the exact schedule for the hearings has not been released, public reporting suggests that they will be held on Monday, June 13; Wednesday, June 15; Thursday, June 16; Tuesday, June 21; and Thursday, June 23.
Following the devastating mass shootings in Buffalo, New York that targeted Black people and left ten dead, and in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers, Senators are negotiating the details of a possible reform package that could make it to the president’s desk. The talks are led by Senators Chris Murphy (D-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX) and include Joe Manchin (D-WV), Susan Collins (R-ME), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ). Possible reforms include red flag laws that would prevent at-risk individuals from purchasing a firearm, enhanced background checks, and funding for mental health programs. On the House side, lawmakers are voting this week on two bills that would establish a red flag law, raise the age for buying semiautomatic rifles to 21, ban high-capacity ammunition magazines, restrict the sale of “ghost guns,” and require the safe storage of weapons. In March 2021, the House passed H.R. 8, the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, which would establish new background check requirements, by a vote of 227-203.
After providing over $40 billion in emergency funding for military, economic, and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, lawmakers from both parties are calling for the Department of Defense and the Biden Administration to provide accountability and oversight of the recent aid package. Some lawmakers have warned that future aid packages could fail to garner bipartisan support without proper transparency over earmarked funds. President Biden also announced that the U.S. will begin to send long-range missile systems to Ukraine, in a reversal of the Administration’s position on sending rockets capable of reaching Russia. Over 6.5 million people have been forced to seek refuge in neighboring countries and more than 7 million people have been displaced internally since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
On June 1, 2022, a bipartisan group of nearly 50 lawmakers introduced a Yemen War Powers Resolution (H.J.Res.87), which would end the United States’ unauthorized military and logistical support for Saudi Arabia and its coalition’s war in Yemen. The resolution would allow Congress to reclaim its Article I power of declaring war and setting the scope of U.S. military engagements. The resolution would also end U.S. intelligence sharing with the Saudi-led coalition, end logistical and military support for Saudi-led airstrikes, and prohibit U.S. personnel from assisting Saudi and coalition personnel in engaging in hostilities.
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