The House of Representatives passed last week its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year (FY) 2023 by a 329 to 101 vote.

To close National Police Week, the House of Representatives and Senate Judiciary Committee advanced legislation addressing benefits and mental health services for federal law enforcement officers.

The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Financial Services and General Government advanced a draft bill that makes no mention of a federal pay raise for General Schedule employees. Thus, the legislation effectively endorses President Biden’s proposed 2.7 percent average federal civilian pay raise.

When President Biden issued a solicitation back in March requesting help from the federal workforce to handle the influx of unaccompanied children at the Southern border of the U.S., hundreds of employees from several agencies volunteered.

The House Committee on Appropriations introduced a $1.9 billion proposal to increase security measures at the Capitol and cover overtime and hazard pay for officers who defended the Capitol during the January 6, 2021 insurrection. The bill was approved in the House with a 213-212 vote and will now move to the Senate.

During National Police Week, the Senate Judiciary Committee passed several law enforcement related bills. The full Senate also passed a resolution recognizing law enforcement and fallen officers introduced by Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and cosponsored by all 99 other U.S. Senators. In both the House of Representatives and the Senate, law enforcement legislation was also introduced.

In a House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation and Marine Security hearing on May 4, Democrats urged their colleagues to support legislation that would extend Title 5 employment protections to Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screeners.

Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ), Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), Gerry Connolly (D-VA), and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) recently reintroduced the Law Enforcement Officers Equity Act. The bill has bipartisan support and would guarantee that law enforcement officers across the federal government have full access to federal retirement benefits.

Leading House Democrats on the Homeland Security, Appropriations, and Transportation Committees re-introduced the Rights for the Transportation Security Administration Workforce Act of 2021 in Congress. The bill, passed twice by the House in the 116th Congress, would expand workforce protections for employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) recently announced that the House Committee on Homeland Security and several other House committees have reached a memorandum of understanding that would help solve jurisdictional issues that have plagued the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for years.

After several continuing resolutions to buy lawmakers additional negotiating time, Congress has passed a $2.3 trillion government funding and coronavirus relief package. As long as President Trump signs the measure by December 28, the federal government will not a shut down this year. The package allows for a 1 percent pay raise for civilian federal employees and includes $900 million in coronavirus relief, but the bill has been criticized for failing to take action on controversial federal workforce policies implemented by the Trump administration.

With a government shutdown looming at the end of this week, lawmakers are scrambling to fund the government and approve emergency COVID-19 aid. The omnibus government funding bill is expected to also serve as the vehicle for two COVID-19 relief packages. The $1.4 trillion spending and COVID-19 relief bill must be finalized or all non-emergency government services will be shut down and thousands of federal employees will be furloughed beginning at midnight on Friday, December 18.

The House Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress passed its final round of recommendations before the end of its term. The committee has passed 97 bipartisan recommendations in its 20-month lifespan. The latest set of recommendations includes several provisions strengthening the legislative branch, namely those that strive to reform the budget and appropriations process.

On the night of September 22, 2020, nine days before the government was due to shut down, the House passed a stopgap funding measure through December 11, 2020. Members of the House passed the funding measure in a 359 to 57 vote. The bill includes an important measure prioritized by Republicans: $30 billion in farm aid.

Representative Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Representative Kathleen Rice (D-NY) sent a letter to Acting Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Chad Wolf and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Chief Operating Officer and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Commissioner Mark Morgan this week urging the DHS to halt deployments to the southwest border as the region experiences a spike in coronavirus cases. The lawmakers warned that further deployments may place a strain on “already overwhelmed” local health resources.