MAJORITY WHIPLINE: MONDAY, JANUARY 13, 2020

Floor Schedule and Procedure:

Suspensions (8 bills):

1. H.J.Res. 80 – Approving the request of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for a waiver under section 1703E(f) of title 38, United States Code (Rep. Roe – Veterans’ Affairs)

This resolution would grant VA limited authority to conduct a dental health access pilot, proposed under section 152 of the VA MISSION Act of 2018. Under section 152, VA can pilot healthcare payment and service delivery models through its Center for Innovation for Care and Payment. Through this pilot, VA would refer veterans who are ineligible for dental benefits to private providers or community programs that offer pro bono or discounted dental services. VA will not pay private providers for the cost of these services under the pilot. VA staff will be able to assist veterans in scheduling appointments with dentists that participate in these programs. VA staff will also be authorized to obtain records from the dental visits and provide them to veterans’ VA primary care providers. The goal is for VA to identify cost-effective approaches to improve access, quality, timeliness, and patient satisfaction with VA health care services; and to create cost savings for the Department. VA is authorized under Sec. 152 to obtain waivers to carry out up to 10 pilot programs concurrently, and each pilot may last up to 5 years. Further, VA is authorized to spend no more than $50 million per fiscal year, collectively, on all of the pilots.

1. H.R. 4302 – Homeless Assistance Act of 2019, as amended (Rep. Sherman – Financial Services)

This bill would authorize Public Housing Agencies (PHAs) to disclose relevant client information to local government entities and nonprofits in order to facilitate housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and requires PHAs to take appropriate measures to ensure the privacy of individuals.

1. H.R. 4335 – 8-K Trading Gap Act of 2019, as amended (Rep. Carolyn Maloney – Financial Services)

This bill would direct the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to issue a rule requiring public companies to put in place policies and procedures that are reasonably designed to prohibit officers and directors from trading company stock after the company has determined that a significant corporate event has occurred, and before the company has filed a Form 8-K disclosing such event.

1. H.R. 4841 – Prudential Regulators Oversight Act, as amended (Rep. Phillips – Financial Services)

This bill would require the Board of Governors of the Federal System (Federal Reserve), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to semi-annually report to and annually testify before Congress on their supervisory and regulatory activities. The Federal Reserve Vice Chairman for Supervision would continue to testify semi-annually before Congress, though the new annual testimony mandate would satisfy one of the semi-annual requirements.

1. H.R. 5315 – Expanding Opportunities for MDIs Act, as amended (Rep. Beatty – Financial Services)

This bill would codify the U.S. Department of Treasury’s mentor protégé program to encourage collaboration between MDIs and large financial institutions who serve as financial agents to the Treasury Department.

1. H.R. 4458 – Cybersecurity and Financial System Resilience Act of 2019, as amended (Rep. McHenry – Financial Services)

   This bill would require the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (Federal Reserve), Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) to each issue an annual report to Congress describing measures the respective agency has taken to strengthen cybersecurity with respect to its functions as a regulator, including the supervision and regulation of financial institutions and, where applicable, third-party service providers. The report must include steps each agency is taking to address any cybersecurity concerns identified by the annual independent evaluations conducted under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014. The bill sunsets after 7 years.

2. H.R. 2398 – Veteran HOUSE Act of 2020, as amended (Rep. Peters – Financial Services)

   This bill would expand eligibility for the Housing and Urban Development-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program to homeless veterans who have received an “other than honorable” discharge.

3. S. 457 – President George H.W. Bush and First Spouse Barbara Bush Coin Act (Sen. Cornyn – Financial Services)

This bill requires the issuance of $1 coins bearing the image of President George H.W. Bush for a one-year period beginning on January 1, 2019, and bullion coins bearing the image of Barbara Bush during that same period.

QUOTE OF THE DAY:

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.”

John F. Kennedy