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** Weekly Wrap 11/15/2019
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Last week, the New Democrat Coalition (NDC), led by the NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Don Beyer, Sean Casten, Elaine Luria, and Susan Wild, issued a statement in response to President Trump’s decision to begin the withdrawal process from the Paris Climate Accord. This decision would leave the United States as the only nation to abandon the global effort to fight climate change. NDC Chair Kilmer and thirteen other NDC Members also testified at the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Member Day.

NDC Chair Emeritus Jim Himes led a letter with Republican Study Committee Chair Mike Johnson to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, urging an extension for the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Following the receipt of this letter, House Leadership announced the Select Committee would be extended.

This week, the House passed the NDC-endorsed United States Export Finance Agency Act of 2019, which reauthorizes the Export-Import Bank for ten years and makes other improvements. The Bank is fundamentally important to supporting American workers, jobs, entrepreneurship, and the U.S. manufacturing economy.

Finally, the NDC is pleased to announce Rep. Norma Torres will serve as the new Co-Chair of the NDC Housing Task Force ([link removed]) . She will join fellow Co-Chairs Denny Heck and Ben McAdams in working to combat the nation’s housing crisis through strategic policy solutions.

More on what Members have been up to below.

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COALITION HIGHLIGHTS

ICYMI: Kilmer: Climate Change Solutions Can’t Wait for the Politics to Catch Up via Roll Call ([link removed])
NDC Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) penned an op-ed in Roll Call outlining the New Dem Priorities for U.S. Climate Policy and addressing the urgent need to overcome partisan politics to combat the climate crisis: “With each passing day, as more greenhouse gases are emitted into our atmosphere, this crisis becomes more difficult to combat. We cannot let solutions get caught up in partisan battles or wait until Democrats hold all levers of power. We need to make progress now… Our coalition’s bill endorsements and policy roadmap are just the beginning.”

Kilmer and NDC Members Testify at House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Member Day ([link removed])
NDC Chair Derek Kilmer and thirteen additional NDC Members testified at the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Member Day, making up more than half of the Members addressing the Committee. Kilmer urged action on this undeniable and existential threat, highlighting the NDC’s actionable policy agenda on climate to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 at the latest. Watch his testimony here ([link removed]) .

House Passes of NDC-Endorsed Ex-Im Bank Legislation ([link removed])
The House passed NDC-endorsed ([link removed]) H.R. 4863, The United States Export Finance Agency Act of 2019, which reauthorizes and expands the Export-Import Bank for ten years, with bipartisan support. The Export-Import Bank plays a fundamental role in supporting American workers, protecting jobs, and promoting entrepreneurship and the U.S. manufacturing economy. NDC Members serve as a key block of Members on the Financial Services Committee and, led by Rep. Denny Heck, played an important role in striking the right balance to ensure the bank’s reauthorization had business and labor support.

Himes Leads Letter to House Leadership to Extend Bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress ([link removed])
Chair Emeritus Jim Himes (CT-04) co-led a letter with Republican Study Committee Chair Mike Johnson to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging an extension on the bipartisan Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress, which is chaired by Rep. Derek Kilmer.
Related, Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) joined 30 freshmen members in a bipartisan letter ([link removed]) to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy asking for an extension for the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This week, the House passed a resolution to extend the committee to the end of the Congress.

NDC Announces New Co-Chair of the Housing Task Force ([link removed])
The NDC announced the appointment of Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35) as the newest Co-Chair of the NDC Housing Task Force ([link removed]) . She will join fellow Co-Chairs Denny Heck (WA-) and Ben McAdams (UT-04) in working to address the housing crisis through pragmatic, actionable policy solutions.

NDC Statement on Trump’s Decision to Begin the Withdrawal Process from the Paris Climate Accord ([link removed])
The NDC, led by Chair Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and NDC Climate Change Task Force Co-Chairs Don Beyer (VA-08), Elaine Luria (VA-02), Sean Casten (IL-06), and Susan Wild (PA-07), spoke out against the Administration’s announcement that it would begin the legal process for withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and stressed the importance of the United States’ recommitment and our role as a global leader in combatting climate change.
MEMBER HIGHLIGHTS

FLOOR ACTION
House Passes Brownley’s Deborah Sampson Act ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Julia Brownley’s (CA-26) Deborah Sampson Act. This legislation would address inequities and barriers women veterans face when accessing healthcare and benefits through the VA. The bill is named after a Revolutionary War veteran, Deborah Sampson Gannett, who served in the Continental Army from 1782-1783 and, after years of petitioning Congress, was awarded a full military pension for her service.

House Passes Schneider’s Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Legislation ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Brad Schneider’s (IL-10) bipartisan Veteran Entrepreneurship Training Act, which would statutorily authorize, for five years, the successful Boots to Business (B2B) program. This program helps transitioning servicemembers start and grow businesses.

House Passes Davis’ Bill on Veterans Housing Benefits ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Susan Davis’ (CA-53) Reserve and Guard GI Bill Housing Fairness Act, which would allow Reservists or Guardsmen who transfer their GI Bill benefits to a family member to continue receiving VA housing assistance even when on active duty.

House Passes Crow’s Legislation to Help Veteran-Owned Small Businesses ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Jason Crow’s (CO-06) Verification Alignment and Service-Disabled Business Adjustment Act ([link removed]) . This bill reduces confusion around federal procurement requirements for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs) and veteran-owned small businesses (VOSBs) by clarifying agency responsibility around a business’s status and their eligibility for set-aside contracts.

House Passes Rep. Chris Pappas’ (NH-01) Bipartisan Bills to Help Veterans:
* The Reducing High Risk to Veterans Services Act ([link removed]) , which seeks to improve management and the quality of care within the Veterans Health Administration, in an attempt to remove it from the GAO’s “High Risk List” of federal government programs most susceptible to fraud, waste, or mismanagement.
* Legislation to ensure female veterans have equal access to essential health services ([link removed]) , including prosthetics made specifically for women at VA facilities.

House Passes Foster’s Bipartisan Legislation to Extend Education Benefits for Military Families ([link removed])
The House passed Rep. Bill Foster’s (IL-11) Protect the GI Bill Act, which would align definitions of an “eligible child” in the Veterans Administration and the Department of Defense. Currently, veterans and service members receive education benefits that they can transfer to their children, but the discrepancy in the definitions across agencies has led to the denial of this benefit to military families.

House Passes Rep. Susie Lee’s (NV-03) Bipartisan Bills to Help Veterans:
* The Student Veteran Protection Act ([link removed]) , which helps student veterans by removing the financial burden of GI Bill overpayments.
* The Newborn Care Improvement Act ([link removed]) , which extends newborn health coverage for new veteran mothers.

COMMITTEE ACTION
Science Committee Passes Sherrill’s Bipartisan Election Security Bill ([link removed])
The House Science Committee passed Rep. Mikie Sherrill’s (NJ-11) Election Technology Research Act, which will give the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) new resources to conduct research to promote the security and modernization of U.S. voting systems.

BILL INTRODUCTIONS
Foster Introduces Legislation to Improve Government Access to Scientific Information ([link removed])
Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11) introduced the Well-Informed, Scientific, & Efficient (WISE) Government Act to better equip federal agencies with the scientific literature necessary to make well-informed policy decisions. This legislation would require the Government Services Administration to work with the Library of Congress, agency libraries, and government information services to identify ways to make accessing scientific literature more efficient.

Shalala, Kuster Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Vaccinate More Seniors ([link removed])
Reps. Donna Shalala (FL-27) and Annie Kuster (NH-02) introduced the Senior Immunization Act, bipartisan legislation to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for vaccines covered under Medicare Part D and to improve vaccine awareness and education for beneficiaries. The Senior Immunization Act of 2019 would reconcile Medicare Part D’s coverage of vaccines in terms of deductibles, coinsurance, coverage limits, and annual out-of-pocket spending thresholds, with those of Medicare Part B. The bill would also update the vaccine information in the “Medicare and You” Handbook as well as authorize a study to determine ways to increase adult vaccine rates.

Phillips Introduces Bill to Prohibit Federal Education Funds from Being Spent on Lobbying Congress ([link removed])
Rep. Dean Phillips (MN-03) introduced the Higher Education Funds Integrity Act to prevent federal education funds in the upcoming College Affordability Act from being used by universities to lobby Congress. Rep. Phillips is determined to ensure that universities are using taxpayer dollars to fund higher education for Americans, and not to pay the bills for lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta (CA-20) introduced two pieces of veteran-related legislation this week:
* The Veterans Earned Transportation Act (Vets ETA) ([link removed]) reauthorizes a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) program providing transportation services to or from VA facilities or other locations in connection with vocational rehabilitation, counseling, and medical treatment or care.
* Legislation to direct research into the correlation between radiation exposure and prostate cancer in veterans ([link removed]) , in order to help determine if prostate cancer should be included as a presumptive disability for certain compensation offered to veterans who may have been exposed to ionizing radiation or radiation during their military service.

McBath Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Prevent Domestic Violence ([link removed])
Rep. Lucy McBath (GA-06) introduced the bipartisan Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (FVPSIA), reauthorizes and expands funding for programs focused on protecting survivors and preventing family and domestic violence. FVPSIA is the only federal funding source under the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to providing domestic violence prevention services.

Fletcher Introduces Legislation to Incentivize the Use of Natural Gas ([link removed])
Rep.Lizzie Fletcher ([link removed]) (TX-07) introduced the Alternative Fuel Tax Credit (AFTC) Extension Act of 2019, which would lead to lower reads of greenhouse gas emissions by incentivizing investment in cleaner alternative fuel sources, such as natural gas.

MEMBER HAPPENINGS
Wasserman Schultz, Shalala, Mucarsel-Powell Launch Venezuela Democracy Caucus ([link removed])
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz ([link removed]) (FL-23), Donna Shalala ([link removed]) (FL-27), and Debbie Mucarsel-Powell ([link removed]) (FL-26) cofounded the Venezuela Democracy Caucus. This Caucus is focused on ways to help address the grave humanitarian and political crisis in Venezuela and to support policies to restore democracy and provide humanitarian assistance to its people.

Mucarsel-Powell: Monroe Must Demand Changes to NFIP via Florida Keys News ([link removed])
Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell ([link removed]) (FL-26) penned an op-ed in the Florida Keys News on the need to improve the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to ensure affordable caps to premium increases: “I’m deeply concerned for the future of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and the effects that it will have on our community in Monroe County, where there are 31,000 NFIP policies covering over $7.5 billion in property values. Last week, I, along with colleagues from both sides of the aisle, sent a letter to Congressional leadership expressing the importance of the NFIP and the need for reauthorization that enhances the affordability, efficiency, fairness, accountability and sustainability of the program.”

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