Below is a snapshot of some of the recent legislation Congressman Graves has been working on in the US House of Representatives. If you have questions or comments regarding these or other legislative issues, contact our office today.
This Week Revisited – On the Floor
On Tuesday, the House passed H.RES.5, Adopting rules for the One Hundred Fifteenth Congress, by a vote of 234-193 (See Roll Call #6). At the beginning of each Congress, the House must not only re-constitute itself, but must also approve governing rules. A newly elected House typically adopts the rules of the previous Congress with specific amendments. The proposed rules are offered in the form of a House resolution, which is considered under "general parliamentary law" which is interpreted to include the rules of the previous Congress.
On Wednesday, the House passed H.R. 21, the Midnight Rules Relief Act of 2017, by a vote of 238-184. (See Roll Call #8). This legislation amends the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to allow joint resolutions disapproving en bloc regulations submitted to Congress for review within 60 legislative days of the end of a presidential term. Under current law, Congress can only use the CRA to disapprove one regulation at a time.
On Thursday, the House passed H.RES.11, a resolution objecting to the United Nations Resolution 2334 as an obstacle to Israeli-Palestinian peace, by a vote of 342-80. (See Roll Call #11). The U.N. resolution states that Israel's settlement activity constitutes a "flagrant violation" of international law and has "no legal validity." Further, it demanded Israel stop such activity and fulfill its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention. The United States has opposed, and at times vetoed, United Nations Security Council resolutions dictating additional binding parameters on the peace process. Since 1972, the United States has vetoed 42 Israel-related resolutions in the United Nations Security Council. H.Res. 11 calls for the repeal of the U.N. resolution and makes clear that the Obama Administration's failure to veto it violated longstanding U.S. policy to protect Israel from such a one-sided resolutions. Here is what Rep. Graves had to say about it.
On Thursday, the House also passed H.R. 26, the Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act of 2017, by a vote of 237-187. (See Roll Call #23). This legislation amends the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to require congressional approval of major agency regulations costing more than $100 million in economic impact, before those regulations can go into effect.
