Recently, I joined my colleagues in the House to approve a funding bill for Hurricane Harvey victims. This legislation will help affected communities recover by ensuring they have the tools they need to rebuild and get back on their feet. I was pleased to see Congress come together in a timely and bipartisan manner to get this done as quickly as possible for the thousands of people who have been devastated by this storm. I’m also incredibly thankful to our national guard, military, first responders, volunteers, and local law enforcement officials for working tirelessly to help those in need.
As other parts of our country are still being impacted by hurricanes, I will continue to do everything possible to make sure people in those states receive the help they need. These last few weeks have proven that at the end of the day, America is a resilient nation that comes together in times of crisis to help one another.
Note: H.R. 601 was signed into law by the President on Friday, September 8. It provides over $15 billion in recovery funding for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, as well as a three-month extension to the National Flood Insurance Program.
Click here to learn more.
Washington Visitors
University of Nevada, Reno
Washington Wrap-Up
Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program Update
As you may know, on September 5 the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) started phasing out the DACA program, providing a six-month window for the consideration of certain DACA requests and applications for work authorization. Unless Congress acts, the program’s phase out would eventually affect about 800,000 immigrants, a number which includes individuals currently serving in our Military, working professionals, students, and other contributing members of our society. The last time Congress passed any sort of substantial immigration reform was during the Reagan Administration. As far as I’m concerned, if we’re unable to kick it into high gear and follow through on this issue after 31 years – the blame is rightfully Congress’s.
In case you missed it, I joined MSNBC's Alex Witt this weekend to discuss the work I'm doing in Congress to repair our broken immigration system. Click here or on the video below to listen to our full conversation.
Department of Defense Appropriations Act
Before the House adjourned for the August District Work Period, we passed H.R. 3219, the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, a bipartisan piece of legislation that includes the following Appropriations bills: Defense; Military Construction and Veterans Affairs; Legislative Branch; and Energy and Water. Specifically, the bill provides funding for our national security initiatives, military priorities, and veterans. This was the fifth year in a row the House successfully passed a measure to support our veterans by providing an increased amount of funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).You may be interested to know that over the last five years, we’ve increased funding for the VA by nearly 27 percent.
Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act
Last week, the House continued its work on H.R. 3354, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act, a government funding package that includes the eight remaining appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2018: Agriculture; Financial Services; Homeland Security; Interior; Labor; State & Foreign Operations; Transportation; and Commerce, Justice & Science. This bill accomplishes our spending priorities by providing appropriate levels of funding for the federal agencies and programs Americans rely on, while eliminating wasteful spending for dozens of underachieving programs. The successful passage of this bill means this is the first time in almost ten years the House has passed all 12 appropriations bills on time.
Standing Up for Taxpayers
Included in this legislation is an amendment I offered with Representative Aguilar that would allow credit unions to maintain their current regulatory and fee structure in order to keep Washington’s hands out of their members’ pockets.
As you know, a credit union is a financial cooperative that is owned and operated entirely by the members it serves. Since credit unions place the credit and savings needs of their customers above maximizing profits, they are considered “not-for-profit” organizations. Under the United States Internal Revenue Code, credit unions operating in accordance with current state and federal laws are tax exempt.
Throughout the years, Congress has solidified the tax exempt status of credit unions on more than one occasion, first, in 1934 with the Federal Credit Union Act (FCUA), and most recently in 1998 as part of the Credit Union Membership Access Act. Each of these bills upheld the findings that credit unions should maintain tax exempt status because they are member owned, not-for-profit organizations that play a critical role in communities throughout our country.
Credit unions are insured and regulated by the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA), an independent federal agency funded solely through fees and insurance premiums charged to credit unions. The NCUA does not require assistance from the Treasury or taxpayers. This is how NCUA has operated since its inception, and has continued to operate through recessions and economic downturn.
However, the Make America Secure and Prosperous Appropriations Act had language in the base bill that would subject the NCUA to the Appropriations process. It makes no fiscal sense to subject a non-taxpayer funded regulatory agency to the annual Appropriations process – especially for a regulator like the NCUA that already functions successfully under its current structure.
Our amendment, which was approved unanimously, simply strikes that section of the bill, allowing the NCUA to continue operating in the same successful manner it has since the Great Recession.
Credit unions serve a valuable role in our communities and economy, and we must do all we can to ensure their viability.
You may click here to learn more about this bill, and click here or on the video below to hear my full remarks on this amendment.
USGS Coalition Leadership Award
The United States Geological Survey is a federal scientific agency that studies the landscape of our country, its natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten it.
When it comes to protecting our nation’s ecosystems, halting the spread of invasive species is critical in preventing damage to our environment, economy, and infrastructure, and I applaud the USGS on the important role it plays to combat this issue through fact-based research and data. I’m honored to accept this award, and will continue working with my colleagues in the House to advance responsible, commonsense reforms that will help conserve our nation’s natural resources for future generations.
Click here to learn more.
In Case You Missed It
Nevada Newsmakers
I recently joined Sam Shad for an episode of Nevada Newsmakers during his recent trip to Washington. We discussed the latest on healthcare, DACA, and other issues affecting Nevadans. Click here to watch my full interview.
Silver State Snapshot
Free Medical Clinic in Reno to Provide Healthcare to Hundreds
Remote Area Medical (RAM™) will be hosting a free medical clinic for Reno residents from September 29 – October 1. RAM is the largest free mobile medical clinic in the country helping underserved and uninsured individuals. Their tremendous team of medical professionals will deliver free dental, vison, and medical services to individuals in CD-2 who wouldn’t normally have access to these types of services.
Information:
- When: Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 1
- Parking: Washoe County Health District, 1001 E. 9th Street, Reno
- Time: Clinic parking will open at 12 a.m. midnight on Friday, September 29 for patients to begin the check-in process
- Tickets: Distribution will start at 3 a.m.
Click here for additional information.
As always, thank you for subscribing to the Amodei Report. I look forward to continuing to keep you up to date on the issues you care about most.
For additional information, please visit my website at amodei.house.gov or call my Washington office: (202) 225-6155, Reno office: (775) 686-5760 or Elko office: (775) 777-7705. To receive updates on what I am doing in Washington and in Nevada’s 2nd District follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Youtube.
