[author: Lai Lam]

The Senate convenes today at 3 p.m. The House is back in session on Sept. 25 at noon.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to meet on Thursday, Sept. 27 to hear from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and his accuser, Christine Blasey Ford.

FLOOR ACTION

House

• Suspension Votes. Lawmakers will consider 54 bills under suspension of the rules. Of note are the following:
  • H.R. 6511 – The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Reform Act would allow the secretary of energy to carry out a program to lease underutilized SPR facilities.
  • S. 2554 – The Patient Right to Know Drug Prices Act would prohibit insurers and PBMs from using gag clauses.
  • S. 2553 – The Know the Lowest Price Act would prohibit prescription drug plan (PDP) sponsors and Medicare Advantage organizations that offer prescription drug plans under Medicare from using gag clauses.
  • H.R. 302 – A bill that would reauthorize the FAA through 2023.
  • The full list of suspension votes is available here.
• Tax Reform 2.0. The House GOP’s tax-cuts package is expected to hit the floor as early as Thursday. The House Rules Committee will meet on Wednesday to draft rules for floor consideration.
• FY 2019 Appropriations and CR. The conference report (H.R. 6157) to the third minibus spending package (Defense and Labor-HHS-Education) and the continuing resolution (through Dec. 7) will receive a vote this week. The Senate has already passed the measure. The president must sign the legislation by Sept. 30 to avoid a government shutdown.

Senate

• Nominations. The chamber will vote on the following nominations today:
  • Jackie Walcott to be the U.S. representative to the International Atomic Energy Agency and to the Vienna office of the United Nations.
  • Peter A. Feldman to be a commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
• Opioids Legislation. Senate and House lawmakers are working to finalize a compromise bill to address the opioids crisis.

KEY HEARINGS & MEETINGS

Financial Services

• Sept. 25-26 – Meeting of the Federal Reserve’s Federal Open Market Committee.
• Sept. 26 – House Financial Services Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on “Oversight of the SEC’s Division of Investment Management.”
• Sept. 26 – SEC to hold a retail investor fraud roundtable to examine the types of schemes currently targeting small retail investors. The roundtable is open to the public.
• Sept. 26 – House Financial Services Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on the administration’s goals for major sanctions programs.
• Sept. 27 – House Financial Services Committee to hold a hearing on the FHFA’s role as conservator and regulator of GSEs.
• Sept. 27 – The CFPB to hold an advisory committee meeting to discuss policy issues related to FinTech.
• Sept. 28 – House Financial Services Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing to examine opportunities for financial markets in the digital era.

Tax Policy

• Sept. 26 – House Ways and Means Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on the IRS’s taxpayer online authentication efforts.
• Sept. 27 – Senate Finance Committee to hold a hearing to consider the nominations of Gordon Hartogensis to be the director of the PBGC and Gail Ennis to be inspector general of the SSA.

Trade

• Sept. 26 – House Oversight Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on countering China and ensuring America remains the world leader in advanced technologies and innovation.
• Sept. 26 – Senate Finance Committee to hold a hearing on the impact of tariffs on the U.S. auto industry.

Health Care

• Sept. 25 – Senate HELP Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing to examine health care in rural America, focusing on experiences and costs.
• Sept. 27 – Senate HELP Committee to hold a hearing to examine reducing health care costs, focusing on improving affordability through innovation.

Consumer Privacy

• Sept. 26 – Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee to hold a hearing on safeguards for consumer data privacy.

Energy

• Sept. 27 – House Science Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on “Advancing Nuclear Energy: Powering the Future.”
• Sept. 27 – House Energy and Commerce Committee to hold a subcommittee hearing on “DOE Modernization: The Office of Cybersecurity Energy Security and Emergency Response.”