MicEvHill.Com - Today on the Hill

House Considering FY '13 Defense Authorization Bill Containing Provisions on Guantanamo Bay Detainees
Senate Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Immigration Enforcement and Services
House Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Bill that Funds Refugee Admissions and Assistance
House Homeland Security Panel to Hold Hearing on Ethics at the Department of Homeland Security
House Judiciary Panel to Hold Hearing on Bill Promoting Tourism and Foreign Business Visitors to the United States

United States House of Representatives

House Floor Action

The House convenes at 12:00 Noon EDT today.

The following floor action is scheduled for today in the U.S. House of Representatives on immigration- or refugee-related measures:

Full House to Take Up National Defense Authorization Bill: The full House of Representatives today is scheduled to take up H.R. 4310, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013. While the great bulk of the bill contains no immigration-related provisions, the measure does contain several provisions relating to the naturalization of servicemembers and the transfer of aliens from prison camps on Guantanamo Bay. In addition, the measure could become the vehicle for amendments relating to Iraqi refugees and Special Immigrants.

The House Committee on Rules has recommended a procedure for considering amendments to H.R. 4310 that limits the House to considering 142 specified amendments. Only one of those amendments would have a consequence for immigration policy. That amendment will be offered by Representative Louis Gohmert (R-TX) and is cosponsored by Representatives Jeffrey Landry (R-LA), Scott Rigell (R-VA), Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Lou Barletta (R-PA). The Gohmert Amendment would amend Section 1033 of H.R. 4310, relating to habeas protections for persons detained in the United States pursuant to the Authorization for the Use of Military Force law that was enacted following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. More specifically, the Gohert amendment would explictly exclude persons who are not lawfully present in the United States from the section's habeas protections. The Gohmert amendment, further, would extend the scope of Section 1033 to "any Constitutional rights" and exclude persons not lawfully present in the United States from the protections. Finally, the Gohmert amendment would require the Department of Defense to report on persons who are lawfully present in the United States who are detained pursuant to the authority. However, it woud not require such a report for detained persons who are not lawfully present in the United States.

The House Committee on Armed Services approved H.R. 4310 on Thursday, May 10, 2012, ordering it reported the measure to the full House of Representatives.

The House began its consideration of H.R. 4310 on Wednesday, May 16, 2012, and it will continue considering it today and, possibly, into Friday.

House Hearings

At the time of this writing, the following hearings were scheduled for today in the U.S. House of Representatives at which significant immigration- or refugee-related matters could be examined:

House Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing on DHS Ethics: The House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations and Management has scheduled a hearing for today on ethical standards at the Department of Homeland Security. The title of the hearing is, "Department of Homeland Security: An Examination of Ethical Standards." Testifying at th hearing will be Customs and Border Protection Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski; Immigration and Customs Enforcement Office of Professional Responsibility Assistant Director Timothy Moynihan; and Transportation Security Administration Office of Professional Responsibility Assistant Administrator James Duncan.

The hearing is scheduled for 9:30 am EDT in Room 311 of the Cannon House Office Building.

House Judiciary Subcommittee Hearing on the Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011: The House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration Policy and Enforcement has scheduled a hearing for today on H.R. 3039, the "Welcoming Business Travelers and Tourists to America Act of 2011", which was introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Joseph J. Heck (R-NV). As introduced, the measure would "promote job creation in the United States by directing the secretary of State to address inefficiencies in the visa processing system that discourage overseas business and leisure travel to the United States, and for other purposes." At the time of this writing, the witness list for the hearing had not yet been released.

The hearing is scheduled for 1:00 pm EDT in Room 2141 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

House Markups

The following markups are scheduled for today in the U.S. House of Representatives that could have significant immigration- or refugee-related consequences:

House Appropriations Committee to Mark Up FY '13 Appropriations Bill that Funds Refugee Admissions and Overseas Refugee Assistance: The House Committee on Appropriations has scheduled a markup for today of the Fiscal Year 2013 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill. Each year, the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill funds the federal government's refugee admissions, overseas refugee assistance, Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance (ERMA), and International Disaster Assistance (IDA) programs and functions.

The House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs approved a draft version of the FY '13 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Bill on Wednesday, May 9, 2012. It released a draft version of the committee report accompanying the measure on Wednesday, May 16, 2012.

No amendments were offered to the draft measure during the Subcommittee markup.

The markup is scheduled for 10:00 am EDT in Room 2359 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

United States Senate

Senate Floor Action

The Senate convenes at 9:30 am EDT today.

No floor action is scheduled for today in the U.S. Senate on immigration- or refugee-related measures.

Senate Hearings

Senate Markups

At the time of this writing, no markups were scheduled for today in the U.S. Senate that could have significant immigration- or refugee-related consequences:

Senate Appropriations Committee Mark Up FY '13 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill: The full Senate Committee on Appropriations today is scheduled to mark up its version of the Fiscal Year 2013 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill. Each year, the Homeland Security Appropriations Act funds the federal government's border security, interior immigration enforcement, and immigration services adjudication functions. The Subcommittee marked up of the measure on Tuesday, May 15, 2012.

The full Committee markup is scheduled for 10:30 am EDT in Room SD-192 of the Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Off of the House and Senate Floors

At the time of this writing, the following "off-of-the-floor" activity on immigration- or refugee-related legislative matters is anticipated today:

Release of Report on Protection of LGBT Refugees in Uganda and Kenya: The Human Rights Campaign has organized an event for today to present a report titled, "The Road to Safety: Strengthening Protection of LGBTI Refugees in Uganda and Kenya". Participants in the event will include Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Anne Richard; Eleanor Acer, Director of Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First; Joe Solmonese, President, Human Rights Campaign; Duncan Breen, Senior Associate for the Refugee Protection Program at Human Rights First; Larry Yungk, Senior Resettlement Officer with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees; and Mark Bromley, Council Chair at the Council for Global Equity.

The event is scheduled for 3:30 pm EDT in the Washington, DC offices of the Human Rights Campaign.

White House Daily Briefing: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is expected sometime today to conduct his White House Daily Briefing, at which he will field questions from the White House press corps, including possible questions on immigration- and refugee-related matters.

Today's Briefing is scheduled for 2:00 pm EDT aboard Air Force One. No cameras will be present.