NECA Legislative Top Three 9/6/19: Summer Recess Winds Down, Congress Winds Up
1. Congress Returns Next Week to Several Key Legislative Deadlines
Next week, Members of Congress will return from the August District work period to Washington D.C. to pick up work on a number of important legislative issues and likely a disaster relief package.
NECA’s Look Ahead: As Congress enters the final four months of the first session of the 116th Congress, it faces a number of deadlines for “must pass” reauthorizations. Many of these important action items will take up time on the legislative calendar, meaning that significant, legislative works outside of the deadlines below will likely be pushed to mid-October.
ISSUE | DEADLINE | SUMMARY |
| Reauthorization of TANF & Related Programs | September 30, 2019 | Assistance for Needy Families and the Child Care Entitlement to States will expire under a three-month extension enacted in late June. |
| National Flood Insurance Program Reauthorization | September 30, 2019 | The House and Senate extended the deadline for another three and a half months in the disaster supplemental enacted in early June. |
| Export-Import Bank Reauthorization Needed | September 30, 2019 | The Export-Import Bank was reauthorized for another four years in 2015 after Congress allowed its general statutory authority to expire for several months. |
| Funding the Government | October 1, 2019 | Congress passed seven appropriations bills for the rest of FY 2019 on February 15. Lawmakers must complete work on appropriations or enact a continuing resolution before FY 2020 begins. |
| Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) Reauthorization | December 15, 2019 | Certain activities under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act were reauthorized for another four years in 2015 after a one-day lapse in the law. |
| Paid Family Leave Tax Credit | December 31, 2019 | The 2017 tax bill, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), created a paid leave credit that expires at the end of 2019. |
| ACA Taxes Reinstated | December 31, 2019 | Includes the delays of the medical device tax and health insurance tax from the January 2018 CR. |
2. Senate Set to Begin Confirmation Hearings for Eugene Scalia
With Congress returning from its summer recess next week, the Senate is expected to begin formal confirmation hearings before the end of the month for the President’s nominee to run the Department of Labor (DOL), Eugene Scalia. Mr. Scalia, son of the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, has made his career as a well-known labor and employment attorney whose list of clients includes nearly 50 employer and trade association groups. The Senate Health Education and Labor Committee staff has already begun to pour over the numerous disclosure and vetting forms required from a nominee before the hearing.
NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA will closely watch the nomination process and the hearings to gain a deeper understanding of Mr. Scalia’s views on union construction and how he would intend to run the DOL. Preliminary indications show that the vote for his confirmation is likely to be drawn along party lines. That said, the DOL has been a great friend and asset to NECA, and we look forward to working with whomever the Senate confirms as its new secretary.
3. Register Today for the NECA NextGen Fly-In—Limited Space Remaining!
If YOU or someone in your company are an emerging leader ready to advocate for the electrical contracting industry, join us in Washington, D.C. on October 16-17, 2019 for the NECA NextGen Fly-In! This annual meeting is the premiere legislative conference for the next generation of electrical contractors and emerging company leaders to learn about the top issues affecting the industry and to meet the leaders who are working to provide real solutions.
NECA’s Look Ahead: This conference is about policy, not partisanship. Accordingly, leading members from both sides of the political aisle will be on hand to brief participants on the latest happenings on Capitol Hill and to engage in robust policy discussions to ensure that YOUR voice is heard during the policy making process.