Monday, Jun 22, 2009
The Office of Legislative and Congressional Affairs puts out weekly reports on hearings, new legislation and other activities on the Hill. The following is the June 19th summary.
In order to obtain the full text of any of the bills that appear below, click on the following link: http://thomas.loc.gov/ . That will take you to Thomas, the Library of Congress legislative tracking system. Enter the bill number in the âSearch Bill Textâ block, being sure to also click on the âBill Numberâ option below the block.
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New Public Laws
No new laws.
Floor Action
On June 11th, the Senate passed H.R. 1256 (Waxman), the Thrift Savings Enhancement Act of 2009. The bill makes certain modifications in the Thrift Savings Plan, the Civil Service Retirement System, and the Federal Employees' Retirement System. The House passed the bill on April 2, 2009. The bill has been cleared for the Presidentâs signature.
Committee Activity
On June 16th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks (Udall) held an oversight hearing on the Presidentâs proposed Fiscal Year 2010 budget for the National Park Service and proposed expenditures under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The witness was Daniel N. Wenk, Acting Director, NPS.
On June 16th, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands (Grijalva) and the Subcommittee on Water and Power (Napolitano) held a joint oversight hearing on the âMountain Pine Beetle: Strategies for Protecting the Westâ. The DOI witness was Bert Frost, Associate Director for Natural Resource Stewardship and Science.
On June 18th, the House Appropriations Committee (Obey) approved the approved the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2010.
New Bills Introduced
The following bills of interest to the NPS were introduced:
- H.R. 2889 (DeFazio, D-OR) - To modify the boundary of the Oregon Caves National Monument, and for other purposes.
- S. 1270 (Wyden, D-OR) - To modify the boundary of the Oregon Caves National Monument, and for other purposes.
Upcoming Committee Activity
On June 23rd, the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands (Grijalva) and Subcommittee on Insular Affairs (Bordallo) will hold a joint oversight field hearing on The Impacts of Climate Change on the Chesapeake Bay at 10:00 a.m. at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, 647 Contees Wharf Rd., Edgewater, Md. The DOI witness is Marvin Moriarty, Regional Director, Northeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
On July 8th, the Senate Environment and Public Works Subcommittee on Water and Wildlife (Lautenberg) may hold an oversight hearing on White Nose Syndrome (WNS), a fungus that appears to be the cause of an extraordinary number of bat deaths in the Northeast. The time, location, and DOI witness is not yet determined.
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For additional information, please visit the Legislative and Congressional Affairs Office website at http://www.nps.gov/legal/
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