Hill Heat

The Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship will hold a business meeting to consider pending legislation.

Disaster legislation:

• S. 943 – Small Business Disaster Damage Fairness Act of 2023
• S. 1763 – Small Business Wildfire Smoke Recovery Act

Other legislation:

• S. 38 – Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act of 2023
• S. 77 – STEP Improvement Act of 2023
• S. 609 – NEW START Act of 2023
• S. 673 – Small Business Childcare Investment Act
• S. 936 – Supporting Small Business and Career and Technical Education Act of 2023
• S. 1156 – Native American Entrepreneurship and Opportunity Act of 2023
• S. 1345 – 504 Credit Risk Management Improvement Act of 2023
• S. 1352 – 504 Modernization and Small Manufacturer Enhancement Act of 2023
• S. 1370 – PREPARE Act of 2023
• S. 1396 – RAMP for Innovators Act
• S. 1402 – Minority Entrepreneurship Grant Act of 2023
• S. 1458 – SECURE Small Business Act
• S. 1739 – Small Business Innovation Voucher Act of 2023
• S. 2094 – Interagency Committee on Women’s Business Enterprise Act of 2023
• S. 2099 – Supporting Community Lenders Act
• S. 2100 – 504 Loan Availability Act
• S. 2146 – Investing in Vets Act
• S. 2184 – Women’s Business Centers Improvement Act of 2023
• S. 2185 – Small Business Development Centers Improvement Act of 2023
• S. 2206 – Expanding the Surety Bond Program Act
• S. 2209 – Veteran Federal Procurement Training Program Act
• S. 2212 – SBIC Advisory Committee Act of 2023
• S. ____ – Community Advantage Loan Program Act of 2023

07/12/2023 at 02:30PM

The Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs will meet in executive session to vote on the following nominations:

• Philip Nathan Jefferson, of North Carolina, to be Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
• Lisa DeNell Cook, of Michigan, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; and
• Adriana Debora Kugler, of Maryland, to be a Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

In a recent meeting to hear testimony from the slate of candidates, the panel’s ranking member, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), accused Lisa Cook and Adriana Kugler of seeking to “use their positions … to influence and immerse their philosophies into the mainstream of American life.”

Scott said they were, among other things, looking to impose a “climate agenda” and “ESG” — shorthand for the practice of making investment decisions according to environmental, social and governmental principles — which he said are “issues that distract from the actual job of the Fed.”

Cook was first nominated in January 2022 and confirmed in May 2022.

Kugler, the World Bank Group Executive Director for the United States, was nominated in May 2023.

07/12/2023 at 02:00PM

Press conference highlighting the need to protect Americans’ freedom to invest following the first of six House Financial Services Committee hearings targeting ESG investing.

During the press conference, members of the Congressional Sustainable Investment Caucus and House Financial Services Committee will underscore the importance of preserving the free-market principles of consumer choice and investor freedom.

Speakers:

• Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA)
• Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL)
• Rep. Juan Vargas (D-CA)
• Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI)
• Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA)
• Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison
• Brandon Rees, Deputy Director of the Office of Investment for the AFL-CIO

Where: House Triangle

The event will also be livestreamed on Rep. Vargas’ Twitter and Rep. Casten’s Facebook page.

07/12/2023 at 01:30PM

The Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources will hold an oversight hearing titled “Examining the Biden Administration’s Record on Federal Coal Leasing” on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at 10:15 a.m. EDT in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Randall Luthi, Chief Energy Advisor, Office of the Governor, State of Wyoming, Cheyenne, WY
• Matthew Adams, Vice President and Senior Tax Counsel, Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC), Broomfield, CO
• John Driscoll, Director and Chief Executive Officer, Port of Mobile, Alabama Port Authority, Mobile, AL
• Sara Kendall, Interim Executive Director, Western Organization of Resource Councils, Washington, DC

07/12/2023 at 10:15AM

Full committee hearing on enhancing fire weather prediction and coordination.

Witnesses:

• Mark Goeller, State Forester/Director Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry
• James Peverill, Founder/CEO, GreenSight
• Dr. Ali Tohidi, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Wildfire Dynamics, San Jose State University

07/12/2023 at 10:00AM

Regulators overseeing public corporations and depository institutions are adopting climate-related financial risk measures and regulations to support shareholder democracy. At this full committee hearing, Republican witnesses will testify in favor of legislation to block those advances.

Committee memo

Witnesses:

• James Copland, Senior Fellow & Director, Manhattan Institute
• Benjamin Zycher, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• Lawrence Cunningham, Special Counsel, Mayer Brown
• Ted Allen, Vice President, Society for Corporate Governance

Legislation:

• H.R. ____, a bill authorize the exclusion of shareholder proposals from proxy or consent solicitation material if such proposals are substantially similar to previously included proposals.
• H.R. ____, to authorize the exclusion of shareholder proposals from proxy or consent solicitation material if such proposals substantially implement, substantially duplicate, or are substantially similar to previously included proposals.
• H.R. ____, to authorize the exclusion of shareholder proposals from proxy or consent solicitation material if the subject matter of the shareholder proposal is environmental, social, or political.
• H.R. ____, to clarify that an issuer may exclude a shareholder proposal pursuant to section 240.14a-8(i) of title 17, Code of Federal Regulations, without regard to whether such proposal relates to a significant social policy issue.
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit the Securities and Exchange Commission from compelling the discussion of shareholder proposals or proxy or consent solicitation materials.
• H.R. ____, to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study of certain issues with respect to shareholder proposals, proxy advisory firms, and the proxy process, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to provide for the registration of proxy advisory firms, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to provide for liability for certain failures to disclose material information in connection with proxy voting advice, and for other purposes. 
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to provide for duties of certain investment advisors, asset managers, and pension funds with respect to voting on shareholder proposals, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to prohibit robovoting with respect to votes related to proxy or consent solicitation materials, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, to amend the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 with respect to proxy voting of passively managed funds, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, to require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study on the detrimental impact of the Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive on United States companies, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, the “International Regulatory Transparency and Accountability Act.”
• H.R. ____, the “Mandatory Materiality Requirement Act of 2022.”
• H.R. ____, to amend the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to disclose and report on non-material disclosure mandates, and for other purposes.
• H.R. ____, the “Public Company Advisory Committee Act of 2022.”
• H.R. ____, to amend the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 to specify requirements concerning the consideration of pecuniary and non-pecuniary factors, to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study on climate change and other environmental disclosures in the municipal bond market, and to require the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct a study on the solicitation of municipal securities business.
• H.R. 2743, the “Fair Access to Banking Act.”

07/12/2023 at 10:00AM

The Committee will hold a field hearing titled “Trade in America: Agriculture and Critical Supply Chains – Kimball, Minnesota.” The hearing will take place at 2:30 PM on Monday, July 10, 2023, at Schiefelbein Farms in Kimball, Minnesota.

07/10/2023 at 03:30PM

On Monday, June 26, 2023, at 1:00 p.m. PDT, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold an oversight field hearing titled “The Northwest at risk: the environmentalist’s effort to destroy navigation, transportation, and access to reliable power.” The hearing will focus on the multipurpose benefits of the Columbia and Snake Rivers and the Federal Columbia River Power System, in particular the lower Snake River dams.

This hearing will be held in the auditorium of Richland High School, located at 930 Long Avenue in Richland, Washington.

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Jennifer Quan, West Coast Regional Administrator, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• John Hairston, Administrator and CEO, Bonneville Power Administration
• Beth Coffey, Director of Programs, Northwestern Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
• Scott Corbitt, General Manger, Port of Lewiston, Idaho
• Rick Dunn, General Manager, Benton Public Utility District, Kennewick, Washington
• Michelle Hennings, Executive Director, Washington Association of Wheat Growers, Ritzville, Washington
• Alex McGregor, Chairman of the Board of Directors, The McGregor Company, Colfax, Washington
• Todd Myers, Environmental Director, Washington Policy Center, Cle Elum, Washington
• Dr. David Welch, President & Founder, Kintama Research Services Ltd., Nanaimo, BC, Canada

06/26/2023 at 02:00PM

Subcommittee markup of Fiscal Year 2024 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Bill.

The State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill provides $52.5 billion for programs under the jurisdiction of the Subcommittee, which is $16.4 billion (24%) below the President’s Budget Request, $7.2 billion (12%) below FY23 enacted level, and $1.7 billion below the FY19 enacted level.

Text of Legislation

• FY24 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs - Subcommittee Mark

Documents

• FY24 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs – Bill Summary
• Notice of FY24 Subcommittee Markup – State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Bill

“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act under the heading ‘‘Multilateral Assistance’’ may be used to implement, administer, or otherwise carry out Executive Order 14008 (relating to Executive Order on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad), including the memorandum entitled ‘‘Guidance on Fossil Fuel Energy at the Multilateral Development Banks’’, issued by the Department of the Treasury on August 16, 2021.”

“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be made available as a contribution, grant, or any other payment to the Green Climate Fund.”

“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be made available as a contribution, grant, or any other payment to the Clean Technology Fund.”

“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be made available to pay compensation to any country, organization, or individual for loss and damages attributed to climate change.”

“Funds appropriated by this Act and made available for the sectors and programs in sections 7032 [Democracy Programs], 7036 [Human Trafficking], 7059 [Women’s Equality and Empowerment], and 7060 [Basic Education and Higher Education] shall not be attributed to, or counted toward targets for, climate change programs.”

“None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used by the Secretary of State to impede the uninterrupted transmission of hydrocarbons by pipeline through the territory of one Party not originating in the territory of that Party, for delivery to the territory of the other Party as ratified by The Agreement between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of Canada concerning Transit Pipelines, signed at Washington on January 28, 1977.”

“The Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study on funds appropriated in prior Acts making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs from fiscal years 2020 through 2023 made available for climate change programs and whether such funds have had a direct result on lowering global temperatures.”

“None of the funds appropriated under title III of this Act may be made available for renewable energy programs as part of Power Africa until the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development certifies and reports to the appropriate congressional committees that no less than the total funds allocated for renewable energy during the previous fiscal year has been allocated in fiscal year 2024 for other sources of energy [oil, natural gas, coal] included in paragraph (8) of section 3 of the Electrify Africa Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–121).”

06/23/2023 at 10:30AM

On Thursday, June 22, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., in Room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Subcommittee on Federal Lands will hold a legislative hearing on the following bills:

• H.R. 2997 (Rep. Boebert), “Clifton Opportunities Now for Vibrant Economic Yields (CONVEY) Act” to transfer a parcel of BLM land for economic development for the town of Clifton in Mesa County, Colorado;
• H.R. 3025 (Rep. Plaskett), To provide for no net increase in the total acreage of Federal land in the Virgin Islands National Park on St. John, United States Virgin Islands;
• H.R. 3049 (Rep. Curtis), “Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration Exchange Act of 2023”;
• H.R. 3250 (Rep. Morelle), “National Museum of Play Recognition Act”; and
• H.R. 4141 (Rep. Fulcher) To provide that certain communications projects are not subject to requirements to prepare certain environmental or historical preservation reviews, and for other purposes.

Hearing memo

Witnesses:

• Nada Wolff Culver, Principal Deputy Director, Bureau of Land Management [All bills]
• Rose Pugliese, Assistant Minority Leader, Colorado House of Representatives (District 14), Colorado Springs, Colorado [H.R. 2997]
• Michelle McConkie, Director, State of Utah School and Institutional Trust Lands Administration, Salt Lake City, Utah [H.R. 3049]
• John Stuart, President and CEO, MTE Communications, Midvale, Idaho [H.R. 4141]

06/22/2023 at 02:00PM