This Week in Congress Part Two

In addition to the bills mentioned in my post from earlier today, the House will consider a number of bills under suspension, including:

1. H.R. 2116—The “Global Fragility Act” establishes a “stabilization and prevention fund” and appropriates $200,000,000 for each of the 5 fiscal years beginning with the first fiscal year that begins after the date of enactment. The fund is to be administered by the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development and its purpose is to “stabilize conflict ridden areas and prevent violence.” The bill specifically targets terrorists in Syria and Iraq.

2. H.R. 615—Directs the State Department to ensure refugees have adequate sanitation when providing assistance. (Isn’t that common sense? Does it really need to be spelled out in a bill?)

3. H.R. 1359—Officially makes ensuring access to broadband Internet in developing countries a goal of U.S. foreign policy.

4. H.R. 753—Authorizes the Secretary of State to begin a Global Election Exchange to promote sound electoral practices worldwide.

5. H.R. 2333—Directs the Comptroller General to conduct an assessment of responsibility, workloads, and vacancy rates of Veterans Affairs Suicide Prevention Coordinators.

6. H.R. 2340— Requires the Veterans Department to notify Congress of any suicide or attempted suicide made in a VA facility. (Maybe this will inspire Congress to investigate whether sending troops on multiple deployments to no-win wars contributes to mental problems that lead to veterans suicides.)

7. H.R. 1200—Provides Veterans with a cost-of-living adjustment. (The adjustment will probably not adequately cover the increased inflation, thanks to Chained CPI.)

8. H.R. 2480—Reauthorizes federal grant programs giving state and local governments funds to address child abuse. (Of course, child abuse is one of the most horrible things imaginable, but the Constitution does not give the federal government any authority to intervene in this matter.) This bill takes federal funding for these programs without making cuts in other programs so as to not increase the debt or the deficit.