Capitol This Next Week - What to Watch For

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Below are the U.S. House and Senate activities currently scheduled for this week that relate to Mississippi River Basin water resources.  The week started off with Monday's release of the Obama administration's fiscal year 2016 budget proposal (which can be found at this White House OMB page).  The budget's release jump-starts a series of House and Senate hearings on the proposal, including a House Ways and Means Committee hearing scheduled for Tuesday (see below)

Links are provided below to relevant committee web pages, and, where appropriate, to pieces of legislation. Many Congressional proceedings are webcast live, and these should be, as well (follow the appropriate link).  All times are Eastern.  This page will be updated as warranted. 

Tuesday

• House Ways and Means Committee Hearing on the President’s Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Proposal; 10:00 AM, room 1300 Longworth House Office Building.
• House Rules Committee meeting on the Unfunded Mandates Information and Transparency Act of 2015 and the Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2015 (bills that would impact the federal rulemaking process); 3:00 PM, room H-313 U.S. Capitol Building.

Wednesday

• Senate Environment and Public Works Committee-House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee joint hearing on the "Impacts of the Proposed Waters of the United States Rule on State and Local Governments;" 10:00 AM, room 210 HVC (House Visitors Center of the U.S. Capitol).  Witnesses will include EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy; Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works Jo-Ellen Darcy; Oklahoma State Attorney General E. Scott Pruitt; Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam; El Paso County, Colo., District 3 County Commissioner Sallie Clark; Clear Creek, Colo., District 1 County Commissioner Timothy Mauck; and Lemuel Srolovic, chief of the Environmental Protection Bureau in the New York State attorney general's office.
• House Budget Committee hearing on the Obama Administration's FY 2016 budget (testifying: Office of Management and Budget Director Shaun Donovan); 10:30 AM, room 210 Cannon House Office Building.  NEW

Thursday

• House Energy and Commerce: Subcommittee on Environment and the Economy hearing on H.R. 212 the "Drinking Water Protection Act" "to provide for the assessment and management of the risk of cyanotoxins in drinking water" (bill is intended to provide for better federal agency and drinking water utility ability to deal with algal-based toxins.); 10:00 AM, room 2123 Russell House Office Building.