House Watch – April 17, 2023

Good morning and welcome to the latest edition of House Watch, where FreedomWorks informs activists and partners on upcoming House votes.

The House is in session for the first of two weeks. The House will consider a bill dealing with protecting women and girls in sports as well aerospace and telecommunication bills. 

Don’t forget to check out FreedomWorks’ tool that tracks how members of the House vote on every single bill this Congress. That tool can be found here.

Legislation That May Be Considered Pursuant To A Rule

H.R. 734: Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2023 (Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL-17)/ Committee on Education and the Workforce)

This bill would amend the Education Amendments of 1972 by making it a violation for a recipient of federal financial assistance who operates athletic programs to permit a person whose sex is male to participate in an athletic program or activity. The bill defines sex as based solely on reproductive biology and genetics at birth. 

H.J. Res 42: Disapproving the Action of the District of Columbia Council in Approving the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (Rep. Andrew Clyde (R-GA-09)/ Committee on Oversight and Accountability)

Background: In December 2022, D.C.’s City Council passed the Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act, a package of police accountability measures that was crafted in the aftermath of the 2020 Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd. Congress also successfully overturned D.C.’s revised criminal code bill earlier this year. 

This resolution would state that Congress disapproves of The Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Amendment Act of 2022 (D.C. Act 24–781), enacted by the Council of the District of Columbia on January 19, 2023.

Important Info: Under the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, Congress may pass a joint resolution, within 30 or 60 days, disapproving a law that the D.C. City Council enacted. If the President signs that resolution, the law is not allowed to go into effect. 

FW View: FreedomWorks supports this resolution. 

Legislation That May Be Considered 

Veto Message to Accompany H.J. Res. 27 (Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO-06)/ Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure)

This resolution would state that Congress disapproves of the rule submitted by the Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers, Department of Defense, and the Environmental Protection Agency relating to the ‘‘Revised Definition of ‘Waters of the United States’” and the rule would not go into effect. 

Relevant Info: This resolution passed the House on March 9, 2023, by a vote of 227 – 198 and it passed the Senate on March 29, 2023, by a vote of 53-43. President Biden vetoed the resolution on April 6, 2023. 

FW View: FreedomWorks supports this resolution. 

Legislation That May Be Considered Under Suspension Of The Rules

H.R. 1149: Countering Untrusted Telecommunications Abroad Act (Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA-07)/ Committee on Foreign Affairs)

Background: In 2019, Congress directed the FCC to order U.S. telecoms carriers receiving federal subsidies to purge their networks of telecoms equipment posing national security risks, with promises of reimbursement. The FCC designated Huawei and ZTE as threats, requiring U.S. companies to remove their gear or be frozen out of an $8.3 billion government fund to purchase new equipment.

This bill would express that it is the sense of Congress that Huawei and ZTE Technologies should not serve as a vendor of telecommunications equipment due to their close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and that it is in the economic and national security interests of the U.S. to ensure that countries around the world use trusted telecommunications equipment and services. The bill would also require the Secretary of State and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit a report to Congress on the prevalence of untrusted telecommunications equipment or services in the networks of United States allies and partners. 

H.R. 1151: Upholding Sovereignty of Airspace Act (Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY-05)/ Committee on Foreign Affairs)

Background: In late January and early February a Chinese spy balloon flew across the U.S. collecting information on U.S. military installations and was shot down by the U.S. Air Force. China initially denied that the balloon was theirs or that it had espionage capabilities and then claimed the U.S. overreacted by shooting the balloon down. 

This bill would require that the U.S. government use regulatory and enforcement tools to protect national security, including the imposition of sanctions on any Chinese individual the U.S. president determines is directly managing and overseeing China’s alleged global surveillance balloon program. The bill would also ask the United Nations and ICAO to condemn the PRC’s violation of U.S. sovereignty.

FreedomWorks reserves the right to score any bill, amendments, motions, or other related votes. The scorecard is used to determine eligibility for the FreedomFighter Award, which recognizes Members of the House and Senate who consistently vote to support economic freedom and individual liberty.

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