Law

The bribery trial of Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) began this week. He is blaming his wife for the presence of the cash and gold bars in their home as well as various gifts they received. Menendez also announced that his wife has cancer. Originally, both spouses were to be tried together but Ms. Menendez's trial was postponed a few weeks ago so she could receive treatment for what is now know to be breast cancer.

Order

This week's rarity is a discharge petition that has reached 218 co-signers, the number necessary to force a bill to the floor for action. The bill is H.R. 5863: Federal Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2023 and its main sponsor is Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL17).

H.R. 5863 provides tax relief for people affected by wildfire disasters after 2014 as well as tax relief for residents of East Palestine, OH where a train derailment released massive amounts of toxic chemicals.

If House leadership doesn't place the bill on the floor for a vote in seven legislative days, then Steube can force it to the floor in two legislative days after that. So probably it shows up either next week or early June. The gap reflects the House Memorial Day break.

Non-Law Enforcement Bills

• H.R. 4581: Maternal and Child Health Stillbirth Prevention Act of 2023 passed 408-3
• H.R. 6960: Emergency Medical Services for Children Reauthorization Act of 2024 passed 399-13
• H.R. 6571: Promoting Resilient Supply Chains Act of 2023, which would establish a critical supply chain resiliency and crisis response program in the Department of Commerce, passed 399-19
• H.R. 3950: TICKET Act, which would require that event ticket sellers disclose all fees up front, passed 388-24
• H.R. 3935: Securing Growth and Robust Leadership in American Aviation Act, the FAA reauthorization bill, passed 387-26
• H.R. 1797: Setting Consumer Standards for Lithium-Ion Batteries Act passed 378-34
• H.R. 4310: Youth Poisoning Protection Act, which would ban any consumer products with a concentration of sodium nitrite of 10% or greater, passed 376-33
• H.R. 4510: NTIA Reauthorization Act of 2023, aka the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, passed 374-36
• H.R. 6572: Deploying American Blockchains Act of 2023 passed 334-79
• H.R. 8369: Israel Security Assistance Support Act, which would force the President to send weapons to Israel, passed 224-187
• H.J.Res. 109: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to “Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121”, which would allow financial institutions to not account for assets held in cryptocurrency, passed 60-38 in the Senate. It goes to the President next and he has said he will veto it. This means that the Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 will remain in effect and relevant entities will have to account for assets held in cryptocurrency unless Congress overrides the coming veto.

Law Enforcement Bills

This was National Police Week and the House put up a host of law enforcement bills for a vote:

• H.R. 7659: Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2024 passed 376-16
• S. 546: Recruit and Retain Act passed 370-18. It should be headed to the President to sign next.
• H.R. 7581: Improving Law Enforcement Officer Safety and Wellness Through Data Act, which would require the Attorney General to develop reports relating to violent attacks against law enforcement officers, passed 356-65
• H.R. 7343: Detain and Deport Illegal Aliens Who Assault Cops Act passed 265-148
• H.R. 8146: Police Our Border Act, which would require a report by the Attorney General on the impact the border crisis is having on law enforcement at the Federal, State, local, and Tribal level, passed 254-157
• H.R. 7530: DC CRIMES Act of 2024, which would limit youth offender status in the District of Columbia to individuals 18 years of age or younger, direct the Attorney General of the District of Columbia to establish and operate a publicly accessible website containing updated statistics on juvenile crime in the District of Columbia and amend the District of Columbia Home Rule Act to prohibit the Council of the District of Columbia from enacting changes to existing criminal liability sentences, passed 225-181
• H.R. 354: LEOSA Reform Act of 2024 which would broaden the authority for certain law enforcement officers to carry concealed firearms across state lines, passed 221-185